


I don't want to Smile

by will_i_am_solace



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan, The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Ella Enchanted Fusion, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-29
Updated: 2018-02-09
Packaged: 2018-09-13 05:54:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 11
Words: 24,844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9109537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/will_i_am_solace/pseuds/will_i_am_solace
Summary: Will was just born when he was cursed.He was 4 when his mother died.He was 10 when his Father remarried.He was 11 when he received the letter stating KIA.He still kept smiling.





	1. Prologue

15 years ago, in the land of the great and fearsome King Hades, in a small humble house in the poorer section of town, a young boy was born. He was said to have eyes a beautiful cerulean blue, one to rival the prettiest oceans and a tuft of hair, looking as if it had been made from sunlight itself. The boys mother, Naomi, held the small bundle in her arms and leaned against her husband Apollo, a great military general. Apollo smiled and kissed his wife's forehead.  

 

"What should we name him dear?"  Naomi looked down at her newborn son, brushing his cheek with her fingers gently.

 

"I've always liked the name William." She replied with a small smile, the tiny boy in her arms looking up at her, his mouth open in wonder, his blue eyes big and wide.

 

"A resolute protector!" Apollo exclaimed joyfully  "He'd make a fine one of the men, maybe I can convince the king to add him to my troop." He teased, earning a light smack on the chest from Naomi. 

 

"You will do no such thing. My son is not growing up just to go out into that horrible war zone where you crawl around in filthy trenches and...and shoot things!" She exclaimed, having to refrain from protectively pulling the baby closer to her chest. Apollo chuckled, mirth in his eyes and kissed Naomi's cheek.

 

"I'm joking dear, don't worry. William Solace. A beautiful name for our beautiful boy." He said, gently taking the baby from Naomi's arms, cooing at him.

 

No sooner had he done it, a bright flash of light filled the entire room, dimming down to reveal an old witch, by the name of Hera. Her smile grew as she took in the new parents while the lovers smiles disappeared right off their faces. Apollo even scowled while young William went completely silent.

 

You see, while Hera was known to give the firstborn child of every family gifts on their day of birth, the gifts were more well known to be curses. A young prince, Percy, son of King Poseidon had been blessed to go through the toughest of times with anyone who fell in love with him. This soon became a curse when the young prince became ill and started to have terrible hallucinations of demons and all things hellish. His betrothed, Annabeth, daughter of Lady Athena soon falling victim to the hallucinations as well. Another prince, Jason of the kingdom of Zeus had been given the gift of always having a good home. This resulted in him being stripped away from his family at the age of four and getting raised in the woods with strong warriors, eventually reappearing in the bordering territory of Romania. Even the young Princess Bianca, daughter of King Hades, had been given the gift of seeing the spirits and ghosts of those long forgotten. The spirits overwhelmed the poor girl at times, causing her to break down in and outside of the castle.

 

So, suffice to say, every couple was wary of Lady Hera. Some downright hated her and spoke it loud and clear. That was a mistake, as when insulted, Hera intentionally cursed the children, which never turned out to be good.

 

Hera stretched out her arms towards Apollo, a warm smile on her face. He exchanged a nervous glance with Naomi before gently handing over Will into Hera's arms. After all, they didn't want their son to be turned into a cow. 

 

Baby Will, on the other hand, didn't like this idea at all. As soon as he was in Hera's arms he began to wail. He cried and thrashed in her arms, making Hera very distraught, forcing Apollo and Naomi to try their best to stifle their laughter. 

 

Hera eventually became annoyed with the crying infant. She snapped her fingers, golden sparks jumping from the tips of her fingers down onto the small boy. Will stopped crying as soon as the sparks touched his face and for a scary moment there was complete and utter silence. Before Naomi could blow a fuse and ask what the hell the old witch had done to her child, Will let out a small laugh, beginning to babble happily. 

 

Hera smiled, satisfied, and handed the boy back to Naomi. "I bestow upon this boy, the gift of eternal happiness. You're welcome." She stated before disappearing again with a flash of bright light.

 

Apollo sighed in relief,  "That doesn't seem too bad, happiness is a good thing right?" He asked, sitting next to Naomi, who was looking rather conflicted.

 

"I don't know Apollo....I don't feel too good about this..." she replied, looking worriedly at Will, the tiny boy reaching out to grab strands of her hair, sucking on them. Apollo kissed her temple and wrapped an arm around her

 

"Don't worry love, we'll be here for each other, we'll handle it as a family when the time comes." Naomi leaned into his touch, even though she was still uneasy. She turned her head and kissed his cheek 

 

"I love you." Apollo grinned

 

"I love you too." He turned to Will and tickled under his chin, causing the boy to squeal and squirm in delight.  "And your mama and I love you."

 

* * *

Will was four when his mother fell ill. 

 

He waddled into her room and climbed onto her bed, crawling over and curling into her side. 

 

Naomi smiled tiredly and ran her fingers through Will's hair. She stopped, turning away and letting out a hacking cough, having to gasp for breath afterward. Will's mood didn't seem to change. He still smiled, although it was smaller and leaned up, kissing Naomi's cheek

 

"Love you Mommy." Naomi smiled sadly and continued to run her fingers through Will's hair.

 

"Love you too sweetheart." She replied hoarsely. Will smiled and snuggled into her, closing his eyes.

 

Will was four when his mother died.

 

* * *

Will was ten when his father remarried.

 

Her name was Cassandra. Will didn't like her. Her name had too many letters. She didn't look like Mom, she didn't talk like Mom, she didn't even smile like Mom. Whenever she walked, it was as if she was stiff as a board and she had her nose upturned like a dog sniffing the air. When she talked, she used too many big words and had this thick accent that made her sound like she was trying to be one of the snobby wealthy women who came into the market to buy jewelerry. When she smiled it was too big and looked incredibly fake. Will wondered if she had been given a 'gift' as well. 

 

The feeling of hate wasn't one sided. Although she never admitted it, Will could see it in her eyes that she didn't like him. She always looked at him like he had drool all over his chin and had a birds nest for hair. She was mean to him too. One time when Apollo left for work, he had accidentally knocked over a glass of water, causing the glass to shatter and water to spill all over the floor. She went ballistic and forced him to clean up the glass with his bare hands and burned one of his favourite books as punishment. The thing that seemed to annoy her the most though, was Will's incessant smiling. She knew about his curse and seemed to take it as a challenge to see how many insults she could throw at him until he cracked. Will never did though. He simply couldn't.

 

Another thing he couldn't do was complain. The curse made it impossible for him to show any sign of unhappiness. Not to mention, that his Dad...well, his Dad seemed happy now. That constant longing in his eyes that had been there ever since Mom had died was now gone. Will had seen him all those times when he just sat by the windowsill, looking longingly in the distance, as if Mom was just coming over the hill.

 

Two years later, Will felt like crying. There was another war was on the horizon. His dad, being a military general, had been called away to help lead everyone into the battle.

 

Will had stood outside the small house, hugging his dad tightly and finally waving goodbye with a smile.

 

Will was 12 when his Dad left him and he became a punching bag.

 

* * *

Will was 11 when he got the letter.

 

He was huddled in the corner of his room, hidden from sight, clutching the envelope with shaky hands. Cassandra was out getting groceries and if she found out Will had taken the letter from her purse...he shuddered at the thought. She had gotten worse over the years. One of his friends had mentioned the word 'abuse' when he thought Will wasn't listening. It might have been, but it wasn't like Will could do anything. He couldn't tell anyone if anything was wrong or bothering him. He couldn't run away. Everybody he knew was poor. Nobody could afford to feed another mouth. Will and Cassandra were barely scraping by themselves. Apollo had stopped sending money about 6 months ago, neither of them having heard anything from him after his last letter. 

 

Will was still smiling. He looked at the letter in his hands, the military stamp on the front, easily recognizable. He took a deep breath and ripped open the envelope, pulling the letter out. His eyes skimmed the letter, his hands shaking more as each word registered. 

 

The letter mentioned a few military words that Will didn't understand, his Dad's name and three big black letters that stood out in the center of the page. 

 

**K.I.A.**

 

Will dropped the letter and crawled into bed, covering his mouth. He was disgusted with himself. His father was dead and he was smiling. Will squeezed his eyes shut and hoping to fall asleep and never wake up or even better, wake up and realize this was all a dream. Neither of those happened though.

 

Cassandra came home later in the day. She beat Will, finding that the letter had been stolen and upon reading the letter, she went for round two. Will fell asleep, exhausted and achey, bruises covering his body in places that could be easily hidden. 

 

As for Apollo, he was forgotten by the kingdom, despite having sacrificed himself for two men in battle. It's not like Will could blame anyone. The young princess had fallen ill a long time ago, and the illness had finally taken her, about a week after Apollo's death.  The King was in mourning and shut the entire castle off from the village. Will couldn't bring himself to care.

 

Will was 11 when his father died and he was truly alone.

 

He still kept smiling.

 


	2. Chapter 1

_One year later_

 

"Will!"

 

Will whirled around at the sound of his name and grinned widely at his two best friends, Cecil Markowitz and Lou Ellen... well, to be completely honest Will didn't think anyone knew what Lou Ellen's last name was.

 

The pair ran up to him and looped their arms through his, dragging him off to who knows where as they usually did. Will rolled his eyes with a knowing smile.

 

"Guys, I know what you're plan-" 

 

"Keep that mouth of yours shut William. At least pretend to be surprised." Lou Ellen huffed, reaching over to ruffle his hair. Will saw her look back at him from the corner of his eye, with sympathy and guilt in her expression. Lou Ellen was also the eldest child in her family. Hera had given her the ability to learn and perform black magic, meaning she could cast all sorts of weird unique spells. The rest of the village stayed away from her though, afraid that she would curse them like Hera, earing Lou Ellen the title of 'witch girl'. Will and Cecil soon became her only friends as the years progressed and vice versa, the three remaining a tightly knit group. A few years after having met each other, Lou Ellen had gotten fed up with Will's curse and had been studying a way to remove it. The last time she had tried ended in catastrophe. She had been so close last time, but something had backfired causing a lot of the energy to snap back at her. Lou Ellen had almost died. Will had asked her to stop trying after that. The attempt hadn't been a complete failure though. Will could stop smiling now, but a neutral expression was as far as he could get.

 

Will turned to Cecil, only to see a look on his friends face that said ' _Go with it or we both die_ '. Cecil, was a different story. While he was not the oldest kid in his family, meaning no gifts from Hera, his dad went overkill on the generosity. He was a kind soul who invited anyone and everyone into his house for food and shelter if they needed it which was not the wisest decision for people who could barely afford things for their own kids in the first place. Cecil and his siblings had taken to stealing from the marketplace for things like food and clothes, and they were all crammed together in their small house, some of his siblings even had to sleep on the floor. 

 

On top of all that, despite what little they had, Cecil had invited Will to stay with them countless times, which Will had denied countless times. He knew Cecil and his family wouldnt care, but he knew for certain that he would be another unnecessary burden. Both his friends had argued against his decisions many times but he wouldn't hear it. Those were the times when he was glad that he couldn't tell him about his stepmother. They would probably kidnap him if they knew.

 

When Lou Ellen and Cecil finally stopped dragging him to the surprise destination, Will could say he was less than impressed. Maybe a little scared even. They were a little ways passed the town border, at an old abandoned three storey house. The shutters were hanging from the broken hinges, the windows were broken, the wood was rotting and it was a very ugly shade of purple. Before he could be cheerfully annouce how lovely the house seemed, Lou Ellen yanked his arm, dragging him inside, Cecil following close behind. 

 

The house was even more dreary on the inside. There was torn and peeling wallpaper on the walls, the colour and pattern not even recognizable anymore. The floorboards had holes in them and creaked under Will's weight. Despite it being mid-day there was barely any light in the house save for a soft glow coming from the middle of the room. Will's eyes were drawn to it and his jaw dropped at the sight. 

 

There, sitting on an old rickety table was a cake. It was a plain, simple, one layer cake with some vanilla icing and a blue decorative trim, a single candle planted in the center. It really wasn't anything special but Will stared at it in awe. Probably because it had been a long four years since he'd seen a cake. Especially on his birthday.

 

Will looked between his two friends, a huge grin on his face "No way! You guys shouldn't have-" he stopped talking in sudden realization, his eyes landing on Cecil "....you stole it didn't you?" Cecil feigned innocence and gasped.

 

"Who? Me? Why I'd never!" He exclaimed, dramatically clutching a hand to his chest. He immediately dropped the act two seconds later and dragged Will towards the cake. "Now come on, let's eat."

 

The three friends sat around the table, talking, laughing, and eating cake. Cecil at one point had suggested exploring the house but Will pointed out that the stairs would likely break underneath them and thankfully Lou Ellen agreed. Time flew by rather quickly and it wasn't until Cecil yawned and started nodding off that Will realized how late it was. He shot up and gave his friends a nervous grin.

 

"Hey guys, thanks for the cake and everything, I really enjoyed it, but it's getting late, I should be heading home." He told them. Lou Ellen stretched and yawned, nodding in agreement.

 

"Ya, no problem Will, anything for one of my best friends." She got up and hugged him tightly, Cecil following suit. Will relaxed slightly and hugged them back just as tight. When they pulled away they said their goodbyes, giving the leftover cake to a protesting Cecil and headed their separate ways. 

 

Will looked up at the starry sky as if it could save him right now. He was in so much trouble.

 

 

* * *

Will opened the door to his house, quietly stepping in. It was dead silent. He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. Cassandra was probably out or asleep. He turned back around to lock the door, almost having a heart attack when he turned back around. There, standing in the doorway of the kitchen, was his stepmother. Her arms were at her sides, her hands curled tightly into fists, her face twisted into an ugly scowl. Will gulped and stepped towards her, his hands held up placatingly.

 

"Mother-" the word tasted like bile in his mouth but Will knew better than to not call her that. Any indication that she was Apollo's second wife would make her blow a fuse. Will was one of those indications.

 

"You're late." She spat, cutting him off. Her eyes held a fire in them and Will tensed up.

 

"I-" he started to say but abruptly stopping talking, dodging out of the way of a vase that she had thrown at him. The vase shattered into bits onto the floor behind him. Will took a shaky breath at looked back at her, his expression neutral.

 

"You what?" She sneered. "You know very well when your curfew is and you're still an hour late! Are you inept or just plain stupid?!" 

 

"I-I lost track of time, I'm so-" he started to apologize but was cut off by a sharp slap to the side of his face. He stumbled a bit, as the pain blossomed in his right cheek.

 

"Spare your stupid excuses boy. It's no wonder your father went and got himself killed. I would too if I had a idiotic smiling brat for a son." She snarled. Will was shaking but his face showed no sign of caring for her words. This only seemed to anger her more. She grabbed a fistful of his hair and yanked him forward so that they were barely inches apart. "There's nothing special about you. You _smiled_ at your fathers death. Who would want a son like that?! Your parents were probably relieved when they died. At least they wouldn't have to deal with a disappointment like you anymore." Will wanted to cry, scream, show her that there was no point trying to break what was already broken. Yet true to the curse, he could only manage to stare at Cassandra blankly. She snarled when she didn't get a reaction and threw Will away from her. 

 

Will stumbled and fell over backwards, his head managing to catch the edge of the dining table hard before he hit the floor. Pain spread through Will's skull, numbness taking over his limbs. His vision was black at the corners and when he reached around to feel the back of his head, his fingers came back crimson. Will also noticed that pieces of the vase had stuck themselves in his palm but he coyldnt feel them, more focused on the blinding pain in his head. The last thing he saw was Cassandra looking down at him, disgust clear across her face.

 

And then there was nothing.


	3. Chapter 2

Will woke up cold, hungry and in pain.

 

He noticed a total of three things. The first thing, was the horrible pounding in his head. He grimaced and reached around to feel the back of his head. His hair was crusty and matted from what was probably dried blood, the cuts in his palm stinging painfully. 

 

The next thing he noticed was that he was lying face down on cold, uneven ground that was very much different from the hardwood and tiled floors of his house. He forced his arms to work and push him up into a kneeling position, realizing that branches, leaves and mud had been strewn all over his back. Will came to the realization that Cassandra must of thought that she had killed him immediately hidden the body to avoid punishment. Sadly, Will couldn't bring himself to be surprised. He shakily stood up and took a few minutes to gain his bearings before looking around. That's when he realized the final thing. 

 

He had no idea where he was.

 

He was surrounded by bare trees, dead leaves strewn around on the ground meaning he was probably in a forest. The lack of leaves allowed him to see the sky clearly, the sun being at a high point in the sky. That meant it was about it was about mid-day. If it was even the same day. That was as much as he could figure out. His head throbbed in pain and he did as much as he could to try and ignore it for now.

 

He considered trying to find his way back to his house but immediately shot it down. Going back would mean facing Cassandra and she would surely try to kill him this time, no doubt about it. What mattered most right now was finding shelter, food and hopefully civilization before he got eaten by wolves. Did wolves live in forests? Were they even native to this country? He had no idea and had no intention of ever finding out.

 

Will turned around in a circle before deciding on which direction to walk in. He walked off confidently. That was a lie but he liked to think he was confident, so he was. Sue him.

 

 

* * *

Will had been walking no longer than ten minutes when- well, it could have been longer than ten minutes, or even shorter maybe, he had no way of knowing, it's not like he had a watch. But that's not important. As he was saying, he hadn't been walking for very long when he heard heavy footsteps. 

 

Will froze, not daring to move. What if it was a wolf? 'Don't be stupid.' He chided himself. Wolf footsteps weren't that heavy. It had to be a human...or something bigger. The fear settled in his chest leaving him feeling cold and empty. What if Cassandra had come back to check on him? If she found him...he didn't want to think of what would happen. The footsteps were getting closer now and Will impulsively did the first thing he could think of. He dove into a thick hedge. Due to winter being so wonderful, the hedge had no leaves. It also had thorns. 

 

Will bit back a hiss of pain. The hedge provided barely any cover but maybe if he stayed very still, whoever was approaching wouldn't see him...hopefully.

 

Will's vision was partially obscured because of the bare branches but he managed to catch a glimpse of the person, letting out a silent breath when he realized it wasn't Cassandra. The person was riding a midnight black horse and some rather atrocious, far too fancy shoes. Seriously they were so- 'Will shut up, your gay is showing' he thought to himself and went back to observing his mystery stranger. 

 

He caught glimpses of pale skin and raven hair, not even knowing the horse had stopped in front of him until he was staring directly into eyes the colour of dark chocolate. Will let out a startled squeak, practically running out of the hedge and passed the stranger, backing away until his back hit a tree. 

 

The stranger simply raised an eyebrow at him, looking at him as if he declared that he had found a unicorn. Upon a closer inspection, the stranger was a boy who looked as if he were about 13 years old. His clothes didn't look too special at first glance, but if you looked closer you could see how fancy they were. The shoes were still awful though. He had his hands clasped behind his back, having a refined air around him. He stood up straighter to try and seem important but to Will, it only made him look more like a cute kid. 

 

'Yup.' Will thought. 'Definitely rich.' The boy began walking closer to him and with the tree at Will's back, he had nowhere to run. Not like he could run, the kid had a horse after all. 

 

Will also didn't have to ask to know that the boy thought he was strange. Every rich kid thought the poorer kids were weird for one reason or another. It didn't matter if you were the most proper and polite person to exist, if you were poor, you were looked down upon. That's the way it was.

 

"Do you usually jump into shrubbery when you see horses?" He asked. Will blushed deeply. Okay, so maybe him being weird was a worthy assumption in this case but he wasn't going to go down without a fight.

 

"Do you usually wear shoes that look like the lovechild of an eggplant and fool's gold?" He countered, satisfied when the other boy blushed deeply and looked away. 

 

"I know they're awful but I have to because they're _fancy_ and _elegant_." He muttered the last words mockingly. Will found himself breaking into a grin. The kid seemed okay.

 

"So what's a kid like you doing in the woods all by yourself?" He asked trying to start a conversation. The boy's head whipped towards him, giving him a death glare. Will wasn't impressed.

 

"What do you mean?!" He snapped. "I'm old enough to be out on my own!" 

 

Will snorted and gave him a look "Ya sure kid, how old are you? 13?"

 

"Idiot, I'm 15! Do you people usually talk to royalty this way?!" He asked incredulously before freezing as if he hadn't meant to say that. Will went stiff at the sudden realization.

 

Shit.

 

Royalty. There was only one teenage royal.

 

The prince.

 

This kid was the prince.

 

Prince Nico, heir to the throne.

 

And he insulted him.

 

Twice.

 

_Shit._

 

Will scrambled to step forward and kneel on one knee, ducking his head in apology. 

 

"I'm sososo sorry, your highness, I didn't know it was you, it wont happen again, _pleasedon'tkillme_." He apologized frantically, praying to every god he could think of that he wouldn't get chopped into bits or whatever it was that they did to people who disrespected the royal family.

 

The prince didn't seem to be listening to him anymore though and began walking towards him urgently. Will gulped and reminded himself to keep his eyes glued to the ground until he was told otherwise unless he wanted to be thrown in some dungeon for the rest of his life.

 

Nico-Prince Nico on the other hand, was being more cautious towards him now, as if Will were a wild animal. He reached a hand out and brushed his hand through Will's hair hesitantly as if he was afraid of hurting him. He probably was, Will realized. There was dried blood on the back of his head after all. The prince finally seemed to realize that Will was still kneeling and sighed in exasperation. He grabbed one of Will's arms helping him up.

 

"You can cut it with the prince crap." He said before Will could get a word out. "I hadn't wanted to say it, I just get annoyed when people think I'm younger than I actually am. It's not my fault I'm short. So treat me like you were before, got it?" He said sternly. Will nodded quickly and Nico turned his attention back to the blood in his hair, seemingly concerned "What happened?" He asked. 

 

"I fell out of a tree." Will replied immediately. The curse had taught him how to lie extremely well, to the point where only Cassandra, Lou Ellen and Cecil could tell. Will himself, hated lying. It only added to the heavy weight on his shoulders, made up of pent up misery and missed opportunities to confess the truth. 

 

Nico seemed to believe him, which wasn't surprising. He grabbed Will's hand before letting it go almost immediately as if it was covered in slime. He grabbed Will's wrist and turned his palm upwards, revealing dirt, dried blood and the cuts from the shattered vase. Will cringed. Thankfully there were no pieces of that vase stuck in his hand, but it was so filthy. Nico must be disgusted.

 

Nico didn't comment on it though, taking him by the wrist to his horse. He put his foot in the stirrup and hoisted himself onto the horse before turning to look at Will expectantly. He patted a part of the horse's back, clearly wanting him to do something but Will could only manage to stare blankly at him, uncomprehending of what he was being asked to do. Nico sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation.

 

"Get on the horse, I'm taking you to the castle to get fixed up." Will tensed, his eyes widening.

 

"Wait what?! You don't need to do that, I'm fine. I know some first aid and stuff, I can take care of myself." He said quickly. No way in hell he was letting himself be checked out by a doctor. They would see all his bruises and scars. That would be way too embarrassing and awkward. Will could imagine it, Nico and some stranger staring at him in utter pity while he couldn't even form the words to tell them what happened. No, going to a doctor was not an option. Anyways he had been studying first aid techniques ever since his dad died, he would be fine. Nico seemed less than impressed though.

 

"I said get on the damn horse. _Now_." He ordered. Will opened his mouth to protest but the look Nico gave him made him think otherwise. He relented and got on awkwardly, sitting behind Nico. He would just have to make sure the doctor didn't check under his shirt and then he could probably get away scott free.

 

Nico clucked his tongue and the horse turned, walking in the exact opposite direction Will had been going when he jumped into the hedge. Will nearly fell off at the sudden movement and scrambled for a place to keep his hands so he could steady himself. He ended up wrapping his arms around Nico's waist, feeling his face heat up at the intimate position. The prince had stiffened at the sudden contact but soon relaxed slightly, flicking the reins to make the horse go faster.

 

"So why are you climbing trees so far away from the village?" Nico asked. Will gulped and scrambled for a lie.

 

"I-I'm kindof adventurous?" He said, laughing nervously. Nico looked over his shoulder, an eyebrow raised.

 

"So, you just happen to be about 10 miles away from the village, just because you wanted to climb a tree." He said slowly.

 

"I-I mean, I kindof just like to explore?" That came out sounding like a question. "I mean, I realized I got lost eventually so I thought that if I climbed a tree I would be able to see the village." He clarified quickly. Nico narrowed his eyes, looking at Will suspiciously. The intensity of the his gaze was starting to make him squirm but luckily Nico let the subject drop. He finally turned back around just as the castle was looming over them.

 

Will looked at in awe, having to tilt his head all the way back, just to see the top of it. The structure was huge, made of grey stone and black marble, and it seemed to be swarmed in shadows even thought the sun was shining brightly. The flags flying from the towers depicted the King's black iron crown with his sword crossed over it diagonally. Will remembered the younger kids in village, telling legends about how one touch to the blade could result in your soul being sucked into it. Will didn't believe in them for obvious reasons, but he was still pretty intimidated by it, and it was just a picture. To be honest, Will was intimidated by the whole building. Soon he would be going in there to be examined by whatever medical treatment the royals had.

 

He had to think up a good lie, go see the doctor, avoid getting hanged and then get out of there as quick as possible. He had to admit, it seemed a little rude to just up and leave on someone who was being so kind to him but then again, Nico probably had better things to do anyways. Will sat up straighter, having a set plan in place.

 

After an hour at most, he should be able to find an escape route and then he could leave as soon as possible. It would be simple.


	4. Chapter 3

It was not simple.

 

True to his word, Nico had taken him to the castle infirmary where they found a nurse who was doing paperwork at the time. After listening to Nico explain everything that had happened in the forest, the nurse took one look at Will and immediately sent him out to shower, claiming that he was absolutely filthy. Not that Will was offended, he was still covered in all the dirt and grime from being half buried.

 

Will took about 15 minutes in the shower- okay maybe 45, but it was only because he couldnt find the shampoo among the hundreds of bottles in the shower and he couldn't remember the last time he had hot water. He got himself cleaned up, only to realize when he got out, that his clothes were missing. He draped the towel around his shoulders to hide his body before going confront Nico about them. According to the prince, he thought that Will's clothes were not suitable for him to wear any more, so he was going to lend Will some of his own clothes.

 

It took about half an hour of searching through Nico's excessively large closet (He was very surprised to find that Nico actually had some good shoes) and about 50 wardrobe changes to find clothes that fit him. To Will's frustration, they were going to go back to the infirmary when his stomach betrayed him by grumbling. The traitor. Nico had obviously heard it and ushered him to the dining hall, telling Will to help himself to the variety of food spread out on the dining table. Will recognized some of the fruit, some chicken, the potatoes and...the potatoes. Everything else he had never seen or had always been too expensive for him to buy. 

 

After about another 20 minutes of eating (Plus another 10 minutes because Nico insisted that the thing called lasagna was to die for. It was delicious.) Will realized that an hour had already come and gone. He hadn't even gotten to see the doctor yet. Not to mention the castle was an absolute maze of twists and turns. He would've been completely lost if it wasn't for Nico guiding him through the endless halls. There would be no escaping this place.

 

Finally, Nico took him back to the infirmary. The nurse gave him a once over and led Will over to a private room. Nico had tried to follow but the nurse pulled him aside, saying he needed to talk to him. Will couldn't hear their conversation that well but he managed to catch the words 'filthy' (Maybe he should've taken a longer shower) 'peasant' and 'riff-raff'. Will heard Nico reply in a hushed manner, talking quickly and gesticulating wildly. Nico turned his head slightly to look at Will, doing a double take when he realized he and the nurse were being watched. The prince laughed nervously and grabbed the nurse by the arm, dragging him out of Will's sight. 

 

Will sighed and hopped up onto the examination table, swinging his legs. He wasn't surprised that the nurse was thinking like that. After all, he was just a random town kid that Nico found in the woods. Will couldn't think of a reason as to why Nico would've brought him here, to a royal doctor when one of the physicians from the village could have done a good enough job of taking care of him. It would have even been less work on Nico's part.

 

Before Will could ponder further as to why Nico had brought him here, the doctor came in. He was an old man, chapped lips pressed together in a stern line and a pair of thin wiry framed glasses were perched on the bridge of his nose. He peered at Will over the top of them, hurriedly scribbling something down on his notepad before speaking.

 

"Name." His voice was raspy, the question sounding more like an order. It made Will uneasy. He shifted nervously on the examination table, the paper underneath him crinkling horribly loud.

 

"Will." He replied, beginning to swing his legs again. The look the doctor gave him made him stop and sit absolutely still.

 

"Full. Name." He said in a tone that made Will flinch.

 

"William Solace." He replied, his hands starting to grip the edge of the table tightly. The doctor scribbled something down before beginning a very awkward checkup.

 

Will felt as if he was a horse being looked at by a potential buyer. This guy was seriously starting to creep him out and no, Will wasn't scared of doctors. This 'doctor' kept pulling Will's eyelids and lips back with gloved hands, poking his chest and limbs with some strange looking metal tools and let's not even mention how he kept trying to choke Will with the tongue depressor. He also kept muttering comments about Will's state of physical health under his breath and while Will couldn't hear exactly what he was saying, none of it sounded very flattering.

 

Finally once the geezer finished whatever the hell he was doing, he started to treat the injuries that Will had come here for in the first place. He wetted a cloth with some antibacterial fluid and pressed it firmly onto the cuts on Will's head and hands, not batting an eye at how Will flinched or hissed in pain. He spread a salve on the back of Will's head, which eased the pain greatly. He also wrapped Will's hands in bandages, although if he asked Will, they were a bit tight. The doctor, of course, didn't ask Will. Once he finished with wrapping his hands, he practically pushed Will out of the room and slammed the door shut behind him. 

 

Will scowled at the door and grumbled to himself about how he could've done a better job himself. He flexed his hands and winced. The bandages were way too tight. He sighed and began unwrapping them when he was interrupted by a voice. 

 

"What are you doing?" Will looked up from his hands to be greeted with the sight of Nico peeking shyly around the corner of the wall. The sight brought a smile to Will's face before he went back to unwrapping the bandages.

 

"That doctor of yours wrapped the bandages too tight. My blood circulation is going to be cut off and then my hands are going to turn purple and then they are going to need to be amputated. Which is a shame really, because I like my hands and they're quite useful, you know. You'd think a royal doctor would actually be a competent one." Will ranted, having wrapped his hands up properly during the the span of his speech. He turned to Nico, seeing the prince's lips twitch slightly. Will took that as a victory before bowing extravagantly.

 

"I'd like to extend my gratitude, your highness, for your wonderful hospitality. I expect that I'll be leaving now?" He asked trying to sound as gracious as possible. He looked up to see Nico scowling at him. The prince opened his mouth to yell at Will, probably for referring to him as royalty when he specifically asked him not to, when he caught sight of Will's teasing grin. It only caused his scowl to deepen. 

 

"Idiot." He grumbled, turning heel and walking straight out of the room. Will grinned at the space where he had been before realizing that Nico was his only way out. 

 

"Hey wait up!" He called, scrambling to catch up with him, falling into stride beside Nico when he did. They walked in an uncomfortable silence. For some reason Will was desperate to break it, so he spoke the first thing that came to mind. 

 

"So, what were you doing in the woods?" Nico turned to look at him, surprise evident in his features. He slowly turned back to look ahead of them before speaking.

 

"My father and I had gotten into a fight. I was angry and I usually vent my anger by riding my horse as far away from the castle as possible." He replied curtly, causing Will to furrow his eyebrows. 

 

"All the time? Isn't there someone you could talk to? A servant or something? A friend?" He asked. Nico remained silent for a long time and again, an awkward silence descended upon them. Will decided to feign interest in the old paintings that hung on the gray walls and while Will wasn't entirely certain, he was pretty sure most of them were symbolising death. 

 

"I-" Will quickly tore his gaze away from the paintings to look at the boy beside him. Nico was looking at the ground seemingly troubled before taking a deep breath. "I've never really been good at the whole friends thing. You probably know about Bianca?" He asked, looking towards Will, his eyes strangely vulnerable. Will in fact, did know about Bianca. The young princess died of an illness the same year his dad did. He didn't say that though, instead opting for a silent nod, as it would have led to an entirely different can of worms being opened. 

 

Nico turned to look straight ahead, continuing his story. "After Bianca died, it was one bad thing after another, I started to withdraw from things I liked to do. I blamed others for a lot of things and I kept pushing everyone away. It wasn't until about a year ago that some of the people I kept trying to push away showed me how much they cared about me. They showed me how they would be there for me and..." Nico paused, scrunching his face up as if he was trying to find the right words. "They...accepted me, for who I was."

 

Will had the urge to hug the younger boy, but figured that might not be welcome at the moment, so he smiled at him instead. Genuinely. 

 

"They sound like great friends to have Nico. I'm glad it worked out." He replied. Nico looked up at him with a small smile. 

 

"They are, they really are...it's just..." Nico trailed off before sighing. "I don't get to see them much. They're royalty in other kingdoms you see, so I only get to see them at balls or important meetings and such. So I dont get to talk to them much. Nor do I have any friends in the castle, or this kingdom for that matter. Does that answer your question?" He asked, although not unkindly. Will's smile disappeared and he opened his mouth to reply but just then they arrived at the castle doors. They stepped outside, both boys instinctively shivering once they were hit with the cold winter air, both reluctant to say goodbye. 

 

"I could drop you off at your house.." Nico offered quietly. Though the offer made Will feel warm on the inside, he couldn't accept. That would be like asking Nico to deliver him to his death. So he politely shook his head and declined, trying to look indifferent.

 

"No, I'll be able to make it back on my own. Thank you though." He caught the way Nico's face fell and swallowed thickly, suddenly glad he had impulse control otherwise who knew what he would be agreeing to, just so that he could see this kid happy. 

 

"Okay then...goodbye..." Nico said trailing off, a slight questioning tone im his voice. Will suddenly realized that Nico hadn't even known his name the entire time. He smiled and pulled the prince into a tight hug.

 

"Will Solace." He replied before releasing a stiff and by the looks of it, shell shocked Nico. He chuckled slightly at the boy's expression before speaking again. "And you're wrong by the way. You do have a friend in this kingdom." Nico looked up at him in confusion.

 

"I do? Who?" He asked, causing Will to roll his eyes and punch his shoulder lightly.

 

"Me of course." He replied, his smile growing as he watched Nico's eyes widen. "See you later Neeks!" He called before Nico could reply, turning around and waving bye over his shoulder. Once he was a good few feet away, he looked over his shoulder to see Nico still standing there in shock, his hand raised in a stiff wave. Will smiled at him before turning around and walking back into the forest, his head held high.


	5. Chapter 4

 

**Nico**

 

Nico stood outside the castle doors rigidly, watching as the boy with a mess of blond hair disappeared into the forest. He stood outside in the cold for a bit longer before he turned around and headed back inside, trying to sort out the whirlwind of thoughts in his head. 

 

Will had said that they were friends. Nico had a friend. One that he made all by himself, without the help of Reyna, or Jason, or even his younger sister Hazel. Nico felt giddy, his face starting to hurt from grinning for so long. He just couldn't believe that something so wonderful was happening to him and right after his day had started out so rotten too. 

 

He recalled being rudely woken up by one of the servants. He may be a prince but he is not a morning person in the slightest. The servant, while trying to avoid the tirade of pillows that was being launched at him, informed Nico that his father had wished to see him. That had certainly caused Nico to pause in his pillow throwing. His father had never requested to see him unless it was to prepare for a special meeting or ball. They never had any balls anymore, since King Hades had never wished to celebrate anything after Bianca's death, and as far as Nico knew, there was no political issue that would require any meetings. He had dismissed the servant, before getting dressed and hurrying to the throne room to see what his father wanted to discuss. And discuss they did. When Nico heard his father's idea he was shocked and horrified. He tried to convince him otherwise but as time wore on, with his father continuing to refuse changing his mind, Nico's shock turned to anger. It ignited a yelling match between the two until Nico had finally had enough and stormed out, saddling his horse and riding out into the forest. 

 

Thinking about his father's decision still made his blood boil to the point where he punched the castle wall. That ended up hurting a lot so Nico resolved not to do it again and headed back to his room. After everything that happened today, he figured it would be best to just relax in his bed and read. Definitely not going to think about it anymore. Nope.

 

"Your highness! A moment please!" 

 

Nico stopped walking and turned around, greeted with the sight of the nurse from the infirmary running towards him, a file folder in hand. He stopped in front of the prince before handing him the folder with a neutral expression.

 

"That town boy's medical report." He explained. "Dr. Machaon said to give this to you in case you were interested." Nico nodded and took the folder, opening to look through the doctor's notes. He was quite surprised to find that the notes had been written on just a scratch piece of paper instead of an actual medical form but then again, judging from the way that Will had said the doctor was acting, Nico shouldn't have been so surprised. He sighed and read through it. 

 

William Solace

_Male, 16_

_Height: 5'8_

_Weight: 128 lbs; slightly underweight_

_Injuries: Significant trauma to the back of the head. Patient also shows signs of unconsciousness for a substantial period of time._

_Other injuries include gashes on the palms, most likely caused from a sharp object(s) slicing the skin open._

 

Nico frowned at it. Will had said he had fallen out of a tree right? He had never fallen out of one himself but he didn't think the injuries would be that bad. Unconscious? Well, maybe he had hit his head on a rock when he fell. The sliced palms could probably be from the bark, but something didn't add up. Will was acting suspicious earlier too, now that Nico thought about it. Why would he even be so deep in the woods anyways? 

 

He frowned and folded the medical report and took it to his room, keeping it somewhere safe. If-no when, he saw Will again, he would get to the bottom of it. His thoughts strayed to that of what else they would do if they met again and Nico found himself smiling. Will was his first friend that he had made all by himself without higher influences forcing them together. The first friend that he had made because they had purely liked Nico for himself. 

 

But then again, Nico wasnt being his usual self, was he? He wasn't usually this talkative or sociable. Hell, he didnt even like being touched but how many times did he voluntarily touch Will today? He usually pushed people away, learning long ago to never get attached. He'd had his emotions messed with and his heart broken one too many times for him to open up to anyone anymore. He'd learned to keep his thoughts guarded, his expressions monotoned and to never speak of what was bothering him because nobody cared. Okay, there were the rare couple of people who did care; Queen Reyna for instance. She was only a few years older than him but she had taken the throne at a young age. Don't let that fool you though, she was one of the strongest leaders there were. There was also his half-sister Hazel, King Hades' illegitimate daughter. They both cared about Nico a lot and vice versa. Nico could find himself being able to share his troubles with them almost easily. Almost. Reyna's kingdom was all the way across the country and Hazel was usually away to visit a prince that she was getting married to when she came of age. And before you ask, yes, Nico did make sure to look into him and threaten him accordingly. The guy was a marshmallow though and Hazel seemed to be infatuated with him so Nico was okay with it. The problem was that it meant Hazel wasn't around as much anymore, thus leaving Nico with no one to talk to. Well, he now had Will, but he barely knew him. Nico didnt even know how long he would stick around anyways. Everything he touched died or turned miserable and poisonous, what if he did that to Will? Will had been so bright and cheery and he always smiled. Literally always. Nico had always thought that everyone had their own troubles and insecurities, but Will showed nothing of the sort. The same cheerful smile, the same bounce in his step, the same happy glint in his eyes. It was as if the Fates had found someone who they couldn't harm in any way. Or maybe that was why Will met him. Perhaps he was the one who was supposed to bring suffering and sadness into Will's life. 

 

Nico quickly cut off that train of thought before it could spiral into self-deprecation and anger. He was not pushing someone else away just because he felt he wasn't good enough, again. He was the crown prince for god sake and he'd be damned if he let something like friendship and other people scare him. Anyways, Will wouldn't have said they were friends if he didn't mean it, would he? Or maybe that was just something he was saying since Nico was royalty...

 

'Nope. Nope, not doing this again.' He thought to himself, marching off to his bedroom. He walked in and closed the door behind him, throwing himself face first on the bed. He would _not_ think about his past, he would _not_ think about Will and he would most certainly _not_ think about his father's horrid plans for his 16th birthday in a few weeks.

 

He sighed into his pillow and wondered about what he could do now, rolling onto his back to scan the room. Contrary to popular belief, princes did not spend their time running around the city, looking for stuff to fight and damsels in distress to save. Nico, himself, preferred if all the monsters in the kingdom stayed the hell away, and he was about as straight as a circle so no damsels for him. He could read like he had wanted to earlier, but the books he had were mostly about proper prince etiquette since his father was hell-bent on getting him to look, act and think like a proper prince. Ha. As if. 

 

Nico scanned the room again before sighing in defeat. He supposed he could dress up as a commoner and go out to the village like he usually did when he wanted to explore but what if he saw Will? He didn't want to creep the other out by randomly showing up in the village, especially right after he left. Besides, what would he even do if he saw Will? Run up to him and hang out? No, that would make him seem desperate. Ignore him and continue on his way? No, what if Will saw him and thought he was being rude for not saying hi?

 

Nico groaned and rolled over, burying his face in the pillow. Why was he so obessed about him? Maybe it was because he'd never had a commoner friend before. Could he even call him that? A friend? Sure, Will had said that they were, but they had only known each other for a couple hours. Who knew if they'd even see each other again? Maybe Will was just saying that so that he wouldn't offend Nico and get his head chopped off. Maybe-

 

'Gods dammit, I said no more thinking about him!' Nico scolded himself, covering his ears as if that could stop his thoughts. Since when had he been so hung up about some boy?! Well, there was that one time, but Nico refused to think about it. 

 

In attempt to get his brain to shut up, Nico got up and closed the curtains before crawling back into his bed and burying his face in his pillow. He was going to take a nice long nap. Yes, fall into a dreamless sleep where he wouldn't be able to think of sky blue eyes and golden hair.

 

And that's what he did.

 

 

* * *

When Nico woke up there was a soft light peeking out between the midnight black curtains. He slowly got up and rubbed his eyes sleepily, shuffling over to the window and throwing the curtains open. He was not proud to say that he hissed like a vampire as the light from the sun suddenly burned his retinas. He blinked a couple times to let his eyes get used to the harsh brightness before looking outside. The sun was peeking up over the horizon, the sky painted beautiful shades of red, orange and pink. It was a bit too colourful for Nico's tastes. 

 

It suddenly dawned on Nico that he had slept through half the day yesterday and all through the night. Nico did usually stay up into the late hours of night for...personal matters but he didn't think he was _this_ sleep-deprived. Despite this, Nico still couldn't find it in himself to try and go to sleep during normal sleeping hours. Especially not when something else occurred to Nico. His dad would want to talk about what happened yesterday. And considering that Nico had run off during the middle of their conversation, he was fairly certain that his father would be furious with him and even more stubborn about his decision. Nico did not want to deal with that. 

 

He hurried around his room, changing into some more common clothes than his regal garb and yes, he left his hideous eggplant shoes behind. He grabbed his riding helmet, not even bothering to brush his hair before carefully peering out into the hall to make sure the coast was clear of servants. If anyone saw him, they would alert his father and then it would be game over. Once he deemed it safe, he slowly crept out of his room and down the hallways. The guard dog almost caught Nico and gave him a heart attack but whatever celestial being there was in the sky must have been in his favour today and he made it out of the castle undetected. 

 

He quickly made his way to the stables and saddled up his horse, Midnight. Yes, a black horse named Midnight, very original. He wasn't the best at naming things, okay? He put his foot in the stirrup and swung himself up into the saddle and with a few clicks of his tongue, Midnight raced out of the stables and into the forest. Which had absolutely nothing to do with Nico wanting to find his new blond friend. Not at all. He was only doing this to avoid his father.

 

At least, that's what he told himself.


	6. Chapter 5

 

**Will**

 

As soon as Will was certain that Nico wasn't following him, he abruptly turned and walked in the opposite direction of the town. He had already established that he couldn't go back yet because of this stupid curse. Possibly forever. His heart ached at the thought of never being able to see Lou Ellen or Cecil again. They'd been the only ones who had ever seemed to understand when he wasn't actually happy and they took care of him whenever they noticed those moments. Cecil would tell him funny stories about the trouble that he and his siblings had gotten into until Will's sides ached from genuine laughter. Lou...gods, Lou Ellen was like the mother he never got a chance to have. She would wrap him up in blankets, kiss his head and basically be so motherly that it almost hurt. Sometimes she and Cecil pooled some money together to get Will a cup of hot cocoa. He always ended up feeling guilty for drinking it, but when he was feeling miserable he couldn't bring himself to care and welcomed the gesture. His heart throbbed painfully at the memories and he sighed sadly, his face sore from smiling so much. 

 

He looked up to see where he had ended up, surprised to see the old abandoned house that Lou and Cecil had taken him to on his birthday. How had that happened? It was as if his feet had subconsciously taken him there due to his mind being filled with the thoughts of his two best friends. Well, he wasn't going to complain. Staying in an old, abandoned, run down house was a lot better than sleeping outside when there could be risks of hypothermia or rabid wild animals. He made his way up the rickety steps and moldy doorway, looking around inside. It still looked like the same old, rotten, decaying place it was when he had been here last time. Perfect. 

 

He went to explore the house, staying away from the second floor steps that looked like you would fall through them straight to hell, going to look through the other rooms instead. The place was pretty empty, barely any furniture besides a table, a couple chairs and a very old couch. No bed, food, clothing or running water. 

 

'Absolutely wonderful! Living here would be a piece of cake! Who need that stuff anyways?!'  He thought to himself cheerfully before making his way over the couch to lay down. He might as well get some sleep if nothing else. He tried to make himself as comfortable as possible on the scratchy fabric and broken springs, eventually giving up and just laying down, closing his eyes. He quickly realized how exhausted he had been from the entire ordeal of today as he drifted off, dreaming of raven black hair and dark brown eyes.

 

* * *

Will woke up at dawn and groaned, various parts of his body screaming _**pain!**_ One of them was his back, which he expected since he didn't think sleeping on this couch would've done it much good. The other one was his stomach, hunger cramps practically stabbing his insides. Of course. He practically ate a king's meal yesterday and his stomach still decided to act as if it was practically empty. Granted, it had been the only meal he had for the past two days and he had mostly stuck to the stuff he knew, which was practically nothing but still. He should not be this hungry.

 

His stomach let out a loud growl, blatantly disagreeing with him. 

 

He sighed in defeat and got up trudging over to the front door. Maybe he could find some fruit or something in the forest. He knew it was unlikely since it was practically winter but it was worth a shot. Otherwise he would have to steal from the village. Not only would he risk being seen by someone he knew but he _hated_ stealing. Sure, sometimes it was necessary in order to survive but everyone already had so little. Why would you continue to take from someone who barely had anything? Plus he already ate a stolen birthday cake and that was enough to make his stomach churn with guilt. Speaking of his stomach, it let out another grumble as if getting impatient. 

 

Will resisted the urge to roll his eyes at his internal organs of all things and stepped out of the house, starting his search for food.

 

He walked around for a while in a random direction, finding nothing but dry branches and dead leaves. He almost gave up and headed back to the house to suffer until the hunger passed when his eyes caught onto the sight of a berry bush. The berries were blood red, the skin smooth and shiny as green, lucious leaves curled around them. Will didn't know if he should eat berries in the wild, especially if they were growing in the _winter_ but he was just so hungry. Berries could grow around this time of year, right? Like wasn't there some type of fruit called winterberries? That's probably what these were. His stomach was starting to cramp up and eventually the need to eat overpowered his concern for their edibility. He found himself walking over to the bush and crouched down in front of it, gathering up the berries in the palm of his hand. He was so focused on his task that he didn't hear the horse footsteps in the distance. Nor the sound of hesitant human footsteps coming right up behind him. What he _did_ hear though, was a terrified gasp, followed by a pale hand slapping the berries out of his palm and then a harsh shove that had enough force to have him sprawled out on the ground a good 4 feet away from the bush. 

 

Will groaned, though he was more surprised than in pain and he tried to get up, only to have a boot planted firmly on his chest, keeping him pinned down onto the ground. 

 

'I'm going to die.' Will thought, hazarding a glance up at his attacker. He was met with the snarling face of Nico di Angelo, his eyes darkened with rage. Yes, he was definitely going to die.  

 

" _Idiota_ " the prince hissed out through clenched teeth, glaring down at him. "Did you eat any?!"  Will stared at him blankly, the shock of suddenly seeing Nico and the overwhelming hunger in his stomach causing him to fail in understanding Nico's words. 

 

"Wh-Wha...?"  The boot on his chest was pushed down harder, making him groan out in pain.

 

"Did you eat any of the berries that are so _poisonous_ , they'll make you vomit blood until your sorry self keels over and dies?!" He hissed out angrily. Will blinked rapidly as he processed the anger in Nico's eyes, swallowing thickly. He'd been in this position so many times before, except instead of Nico's face, it had been his stepmother's. Images flooded his mind and he quickly closed his eyes in an attempt to ban them. He would not freak out-or internally freak out-around Nico. He was a friend. He wasn't going to hurt him. Hopefully.

 

He remembered that Nico was still waiting on an answer, his eyes snapping open as he shook his head frantically. He decided to keep his mouth shut until he could get his thoughts in order watching as Nico seemed to sag in relief at the response and the rage quickly melted away to reveal another emotion in his eyes. Fear. 

 

Before Will could think more on that, Nico finally seemed to realize what he was doing and hurriedly got off him. He pulled him up and even tried to brush the dirt off of him, something Will would've found amusing if he hadn't just been assaulted with images of Cassandra. He still smiled anyways.

 

Nico didn't seem to notice it though, still fretting over him like he was a mother who just saw her four year old almost run into the street. 

 

"Are you okay?! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to be so harsh, it's just _everyone_ knows how poisonous those berries are except for you, you stupid idiot, you scared me so badly!" Nico exclaimed before blushing furiously as he realized what he said. Will's eyebrows shot up in surprise but before he could comment, Nico was already plowing on, trying to change the subject and cover up for that small slip of emotions.  "Why were you even trying to eat them anyways?! Do you want to die?! Don't you have food at home?!" 

 

The smile slipped off Will's face as he made his expression go painfully neutral again. How was he supposed to reply to that? He couldn't say his stepmother tried to murder him and now he was living in the forest with nothing, now could he? 

 

Nico seemed to have taken Will's silence the wrong way though, his eyes immediately widening in alarm.

 

"No wait-shit-I didn't mean-of course, you live in the village, you probably don't have much-not that you're poor! Or you are but not in a bad way! Or is it a bad way? Shit, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to offend you-"  he rambled on and Will quickly put on another smile to reassure him, opening his mouth to correct him when he paused.

 

If he told Nico that he had done nothing wrong then how was he supposed to explain what he was doing out here? His stomach churned again at the thought of letting the prince think he had done something wrong, but there was no other option. Regretfully, he opened his mouth to reply to him, words tumbling out of his mouth that he wished he could instantly take back.  

 

"It's fine Nico. Don't worry about it." Immediately he could see the slumping of the younger boy's shoulders and how he instantly seemed to act more hesitant around Will, as if Will was the prince and Nico was nothing more than a lowly villager. Will hated it. 

 

"I'm sorry..." Nico said again, his voice impossibly soft as he chewed on his thumbnail guiltily. Will's heart clenched in his chest at the sight and he opened his mouth to speak because _curse be damned he was not letting Nico beat himself up when he did absolutely nothing-_

 

Sadly, Nico was already grabbing his wrist and pulling him towards his horse before he could get a word out. 

 

"You said you were hungry right? Come on, let's get back to the castle and get some food into you." He said sternly, trying and failing to regain the confident aura he had once had. Especially when he hesitated and glanced at Will nervously. "I-I mean...if you want to, of course..." 

 

 "Yes! Yes, of course, I'd love to!" Will blurted out before Nico even finished his sentence. His cheeks turned pink when he realized how eager he sounded but he couldn't bring himself to care. After what he let Nico think, he deserved to be embarrassed and more.  "I'd love to." He repeated, this time more firmly.  "I'm starving, I could use a meal. Plus, I'd love to spend time with my newest friend." He told him, nudging him slightly and winking. 

 

Nico's ears turned pink and the tension seemed to seep out of his shoulders to Will's relief. He ushered Will onto the horse, getting on himself before riding off to the castle. Will immediately wrapped his arms around Nico's waist when they took off again. He wasn't that scared of falling off anymore and no, he wasn't holding onto to Nico like this because he liked how he felt in his arms, he was just...okay, he lied. He was deathly afraid of falling off, better be safe than sorry. 

 

They arrived at the castle too soon for Will's liking and he had to let go of Nico so he could dismount. Very reluctantly. Because he was still scared of falling off. Will moved to get off the horse himself when he noticed a pale hand being held out to him. The owner of said hand was pointedly looking away and trying to act non-chalant though his pink cheeks gave him away. Will felt like one of those fair maidens in one of those romance novels he read. Not that he was a damsel nor was Nico his knight in shining armour. Not at all. He smiled and took Nico's hand, using it to help himself get off the horse before walking inside with the young prince. 

 

Neither of them let go of the other's hand.


	7. Chapter 6

Will was dying. His stomach hurt like hell, he could barely move and his eyelids started to shut as if trying to lull him into the darkness of sleep. He mentally let out a pitiful whine, not even bothering to try and move from the bed he was currently laying on. 

  


"You really shouldn't have eaten so much." Nico commented teasingly from where he was sitting at his desk. Will was not amused. Here he was in pain and Nico was finding humour in his suffering. 

  


"Aren't you an angel." He said a sweet voice, trying to make it sound as fake as possible. He then proceeded to roll over so that his back was facing the prince. At least he would die in comfort. Nico's bed had to be the softest thing he had ever laid down on. Ever since the berry incident, it had become a daily occurrence for Nico to find Will in the forest (by chance) and drag him back to the castle for a meal (which was what any kind soul would do). It also became a regular occurrence that Will would forget his stomach had limits which resulted in him groaning dramatically on Nico's bed. He could feel the mattress sinking under his weight as he shifted positions and it was honestly _heaven_. Screw the ratty couch in that moldy old house, Will had officially decided he was never getting up from this bed. Ever. Nico would just have to deal with it. He could sleep in the closet. Or suck it up and sleep with him. Now Will was going to suffocate himself with the pillow for indecent thoughts. 

After about 30 seconds of this, Nico decided to speak up.  "Do you enjoy nearly killing yourself or do you also not know about how humans require air?" 

  


"No, I just like to test how long a human can go without oxygen." Will grumbled, rolling back over to lie on his back.

  


"3 minutes."

  


"I know that."

  


"Then why were you testing it?" This, is the reason why Will can not possibly like this boy. He is snobby and arrogant and he seems to strive to make Will feel stupid.  His devious eyes make him feel like he's pinned in place, his sharp tongue made his knees weak and that cocky smirk made his heart feel like it was going to burst right out of his-no. No, no no no, he was _not_ falling for this boy. Will was a peasant. He was a prince. Will was weak and uneducated. He was strong and intelligent. Will was cursed. He was blessedly free of any magic that related to Hera and as a result he could live life freely. 

  


Even if he did fancy Will, (which Will did not care about since he did _not_ like him) he wouldn't be liking the real Will. He'd be infatuated with a stranger, someone who lied to him, who hid behind a mask everyday. If Nico knew the truth...well it didn't matter since their was no way of Nico ever knowing the truth. Not unless someone told him and Will wasn't very inclined to let that happen. The past few weeks that he had had with Nico had been the best of his life. Will hadn't genuinely smiled and laughed in such a long time that his cheeks hurt from doing it so much. If Nico had found out he had omitted the truth, he doubted he would be very happy. Hera was very well known for her horrid gifts after all, everyone made sure to be wary of every firstborn child. Will wouldn't be able to bear it if Nico started walking on eggshells around him.

  


Before Will could sink further into his lament, he felt the bed shift and suddenly he was staring up into dark brown eyes above him as Nico practically straddled his waist.

  


"You aren't actually dead, are you? Come on Solace, don't tell me you've gone and killed all your brain cells due to lack of oxygen." Nico deadpanned, lifting his fist to gently knock on Will's forehead. Will blinked up at the boy, feeling the blood rushing to his cheeks as he stuttered out a response. 

  


"S-shut up di Angelo. We both know I'm ten times smarter than you."

  


"Says the one who was about to eat highly poisonous berries."

  


"That was _weeks_ ago, let it go!"

  


"Make me, William." It was that comment that got Will to shut his stupid mouth. Then his stupid eyes drifted down to Nico's stupid lips and he had the stupid idea of kissing him there and then. It was then that Nico seemed to realize their proximity and for a second, Will could've sworn that his eyes flicked down to Will's lips as well. Though that was probably just Will projecting his feelings onto the situation...

  


Right?

  


It didn't matter anyways because in the blink of an eye, the moment that had seemed to pass between the two of them was broken when Nico's eyes flicked back up to look at Will. Will could feel his cheeks heating up, could see the same happening to Nico's, his pale skin turning a rather ~~cute~~ shade of pink. Nico suddenly lurched off of him and scrambled backward, almost falling off the bed. Will slowly pushed himself up, the both of them staring at each other for a painful amount of time. Will felt the corner of his lips twitching into a smile and before he could be internally horrified with himself, he burst into a fit of awkward giggles. 

  


Someone kill him. Now. Please. He was utterly done with this curse, he'd prefer it if his parents had just defied Hera and gotten him turned into a cow. 

  


As Will was trying to desperately stop his laughter, he heard a sound. It was a strange sound that wasn't in any way pretty and actually reminded Will of a pig. His giggles died down slightly as he looked up at Nico in confusion, the young prince covering his mouth with his hands as his shoulders shook with barely contained mirth. Will put two and two together and raised an eyebrow at the oh so refined royal. 

  


"Did you just snort?" He asked incredulously. That was apparently the final straw for Nico and he burst into peals of laughter, clutching at his sides desperately as his eyes started to tear up. Will just stared at the sight in front of him in shock. If there was one thing he learned during the weeks in which he met Nico, it was that it was rare to see a smile on the boy's face. Seeing him laughing like this...Will could swear he fell just a little bit more for him. If there was one thing that Nico's laughter certainly was, it was infectious. Soon Will found himself breaking out into a grin and then cracking up as well, the two of them gasping for air as they tried to calm down. 

  


The amusement was short-lived though, for there was a harsh knocking on the door and then someone was barging in without even waiting for Nico's answer. Will was practically panting when he came in and immediately his years of analysing people on the streets came back to him. The boy was probably a few years older that both him and Nico, his garments being much more refined than those of the usual servants. His eyes were cruel and calculating, the same colour green as pond scum. His smile was smug and held something twisted and sinister that sent a shiver down Will's spine. Will was also very disgusted to find that his two front teeth were different shades of yellow. From the haughty way he stood and the way he held his head high, as if he expected Nico to bow down to him, Will would assume that this man was a royal advisor, second in command and since Nico wasn't of age yet, more powerful than the prince.

  


Will's stomach churned unpleasantly and this time, it wasn't hard to smooth his features to a neutral position. Nico seemed to silently agree with his sentiments, the smile on his face twisting into a scowl. 

  


"Lawrence." He said flatly, his limbs tensing up a bit as if he was just waiting for an opportunity to fight.  "You may have a higher power in courts but for now you are to show me respect and that means waiting to be called in before you enter."  The man-Lawrence allegedly, only sneered. 

  


"That's true...your _highness_.." He said slowly, his lip curling as if he had drank sour milk.  "...but then again, I'm not the only one who's being disrespectful, am I?" 

  


From the way Nico went absolutely rigid with anger, Will almost feared for the advisor's life. Almost. Sadly, he still continued to speak anyways. 

  


"I mean," He started with a disbelieving laugh.  "Yelling, ignoring and running out on a meeting with the King himself. I'd have thought your tutors would've taught you better in your etiquette lessons. Guess you can't teach a dumb dog old tricks." Will managed to clench his jaw when he heard him, suddenly very envious of Nico's ability to scowl. Nico, in the meantime, looked downright murderous. He pushed himself off bed and stormed right up to Lawrence, getting up in his face despite being a good few inches shorter than him. 

  


“ _Bryce_ -"  He growled threateningly but was cut off with a scoff. 

  


"What? Do you deny it?"  He asked, raising an eyebrow at him. Nico went silent and Will felt like screaming at him to defend himself since he couldn't. Since he wasn't able to do that though, the anemic loser of an advisor continued anyways. "You're the _crown prince_ , you ought to be more proper. Not to mention you shouldn't be spending your time with this street scum."  He said in disgust, gesturing to Will. 

  


Will was quite pleased to see this Bryce Lawrence guy glower at him when he didn't get the reaction he wanted. _Ha_. 

  


Nico on the other hand, gave him quite a big reaction. If the dark haired boy looked angry before, he was absolutely _livid_ now. If looks could kill, Bryce would've been a nameless ghost in the Underworld by now. With a surge of strength that surprised even Will, Nico grabbed the front of Bryce's uniform and slammed him up against the wall.

  


"You're gonna shut your dirty little mouth and get the hell out of here, you understand me? I don't care if my father sent for you or what but if he did then I'll be telling him exactly why I'm _not_ going." He ground out darkly, shoving him towards the door. Bryce stumbled a bit before his lips curled up into his smug smirk again.

  


"That's if you can even work up the courage." He jeered, giving them a mocking bow before he turned on his heel and left. Nico stared at the door for a few minutes longer, his chest heaving as he tried to contain his rage. Then all at once, the fight seemed to drain out of him and he slumped forward tiredly, walking back to the bed. He flopped down onto it, smushing his face into the pillow next to Will. 

  


"I'm sorry 'bout that." He mumbled out, his voice muffled. Will chuckled at him and poked his side.

  


"It's fine Ghost King." Will said, smiling reassuringly and nudging him.  "And if you wanna talk about it then I'm listening." Nico lifted his head from the pillow to give Will an exasperated look at the nickname. Then he chewed his lip, hesitating a moment before rolling onto his back with a sigh, closing his eyes.

  


"It's a long story." Will laid down next to him, folding his hands over his stomach as he stared up at the ceiling.

  


"I'm listening."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKAY SO I WANTED TO GET THIS OUT BEFORE NEW YEARS SO IT'S HORRIBLY UNEDITED BUT HERE
> 
> ON ANOTHER NOTE, TRAGIC BACK STORY COMING UP WHOOOOOOO
> 
> HAPPY NEW YEARS ALL!!!!!!


	8. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so, few quick things. 1) I changed up the Prologue a bit so that this chapter makes a bit more sense. Mostly just ages and Percy's curse. 2) This is based in the 1500s cuz medieval times and all but we're gonna pretend they have some modern stuff cuz there's fairy and trolls so there's gonna be movies and plumbing. Okay? Okay. 
> 
> Enjoy!!

 

**Nico**

 

Nico hadn't always been the broody, intimidating, loner type of guy.

 

He had actually been a rather happy child in his younger years. Hyperactive, inquisitive and oh so blissfully naïve. The picture perfect image of a cute, playful toddler. Not only that but he was also a lot healthier back then. His skin had a rich dark Italian tan, a large contrast to his now snow white complexion. His eyes were a bright and lively shade of brown contrary to the appearance of broken glass that they now held. His cheeks had even been full and chubby, the type that would have relatives pinching them as they exclaimed about how he had at least grown a good three inches since they saw him last. Now they were sunken and gaunt, his relatives huddling away from him while shielding their children as if he was a monster.

 

But that was the present and right now Nico had to focus on the past. If someone were to ask him about where his story first started and if he was in a good enough mood to tell you, (or if you were Will Solace) Nico would have to think back to a time that he could barely remember...a time when he was happy.

 

* * *

_Venice, Italy 1555_

 

From what Nico remembered, Maria di Angelo was a beautiful lady. Her dark hair would always be tied back, a string of white pearls around her neck with white lace gloves to match. Combined with her black velvet dress and matching hat, she looked just like a stunning starlet from the movies. She was the daughter of an Italian diplomat that his father had met while on a business trip. The rest is history. 

 

Soon after, Bianca and Nico were born, living with their mama while their father stayed with them for as long as he could, traveling back and forth between Italy and Olympia. They were quite a happy little family. Their relatives always cooed over how Bianca had their mama's radiant smile and how Nico had her dark brown eyes. They also made sure to point out how different their father was around her...

 

_Bia hushed him, scolding him fondly. "Taci fratellino. Essi ci troveranno se siamo troppo forte." Nico stifled a giggle and nodded, putting a finger to his lips and making a shushing noise. He peered into the kitchen from behind the door, observing his Mama throw her head back and laugh at something at something Papa said, smiling as she stirred the dessert batter. Nico watched as Papa came into view, so big that Nico had to tilt his head all the way back to look up at him. He wrapped his arms around Mama's waist, and kissed her hair, a gentle smile spreading on his face. Mama tutted in disapproval but it was hard to miss the matching expression she wore._

 

_"Stop that, I'm trying to make your dinner before you leave for your meeting."  She chided, laughing softly when his Papa groaned in response and  buried his face in her hair. Nico still couldn't get used to how strange her voice sounded with an Americano accent._

 

_"Do I have to?" He grumbled  "You know how they are. No respect at all." Mama rolled her eyes and flicked some of the batter onto Papa's nose._

 

_"I keep telling you, if they saw this side of you, they'd be different. The kinder, gentler side that always comes out when you're with me or the bambini. The others would spurn and fear you less." She said firmly. Papa just continued to grumble and pulled away to wipe the batter off his nose, glaring playfully. Nico didn't really know how glares were playful but Bia had told him that Papa loved Mama very much and would never be a meanie to her. Papa huffed and Nico quickly turned his attention back to the scene before he missed anything. _

 

_"Why are you even cooking? You know we have the staff to do it." Now it was Mama's turn to huff._

 

 _"Nonsense! This is my family and only I will cook for them." She said firmly, setting her bowl down and poking Papa square in the chest, her other hand on her hip. The sight was so funny that Nico couldn't help but to burst into giggles, quickly stopping and going deathly still when Mama looked in his direction. Eventually Mama turned back to her bowl, sighing sadly._ 

 

_"It's such a shame though. I've finished the batter but the children aren't here. I suppose I'll have to let you lick the spoon instead." She said casually. Nico gasped in horror. Before Bianca could stop him, he ran into the kitchen, straight into Mama's waiting arms, exclaiming about how he got spoon licking rights and not Papa._

 

The last thing Nico remembered was his mother's laughter, the sound fading along with the memory.

 

* * *

_Venice, 1556_

 

It wasn't very surprising that King Hades wasn't...popular in the other two major kingdoms. Despite being one of the three most powerful kings, he was the most despised among most nobles. They viewed him as a harsh and unforgiving king. The land he ruled over didn't help his image either. It was dark and gloomy for a good chunk of the year, pomegranates being the only food that grew yearly without fail. The kingdom was also prone to attacks, disease and crushing poverty. If Nico currently wasn't so furious with his father, he would've defended him. It wasn't his fault the kingdom was like this. Most of the other rulers refused to provide trade and alliances. Some of them were even the ones who attacked. Mostly King Zeus, the one who reigned over not just his one kingdom but also the entire Olympia empire. In Nico's opinion though, the man was a paranoid coward. But he may be biased.

 

You see, back in the fateful year of 1556, when Nico and Bianca had been the mere age of 3 and 5 years old, Zeus had decided enough was enough. King Hades was getting too powerful and must be stopped, effective immediately. Now Zeus couldn't attack Hades directly. That would cause the people to turn on him. So instead he launched a stealth attack. 

 

To take out the two heirs.

 

_Nico whimpered and burrowed himself further into Bianca's arms. He didn't like it in the basement. It was cold and dark and there were too many scary noises. Why did Papa make them stay down here?_

 

_There was a loud crash upstairs along with a lot of loud men yelling. Nico could feel Bianca start to tremble. Oh. That's why. Papa said something about bad men coming to visit so they had to stay down here. Nico didn't understand why though.  Why were the bad men here? Maybe they had come for Nico since he had snuck an extra cookie at dinner when Mama and Papa weren't looking. As soon as the thought was in his head, Nico burst into tears, Bia trying her best to calm him. He'd give up cookies forever if it meant that he wouldn't have to leave Papa and Mama and Bia. Why was Papa taking so long anyways? He said he would get Mama and be right back. Why wasn't he back?_

 

_Bia was rocking him now, saying it hadn't been too long, only a couple of hours. Only a few hours? It had felt like they had been down for months. Nico thought that Bia was definitely trying to keep him quiet so he tried his very best to stop crying._

 

_Eventually the yelling stopped and Papa came back for them. Nico noticed that Mama wasn't with him. He was about to ask but one glance at Papa and his mouth snapped shut. Papa looked...scary. Nico didn't know how else to describe it. Papa just...didn't look like Papa anymore. The three at them just stayed still and stared at each other for what had to be at least another month before Papa gestured for them to follow him, turning around and leaving without a word. Nico could only stare at where he used to be. Eventually Bia slowly got up and took Nico's hand, leading him back upstairs. The house looked the same as before...almost. It was messier. Nico noticed that the portrait of Mama was missing from one wall, along with the special obsidian vase she gave Papa. As Bia walked him through the halls, Nico noticed that they weren't the only missing things. There was a distinct lack of Mama everywhere they went. Nico suddenly realized what was happening. Mama must be playing hide and seek and she wanted them to find her! He grinned excitedly and let go of Bianca's hand, darting from room to room in search of Mama, checking even his best hiding spots that he told only her about._

 

_He never found her though._

_Nico checked the last place, frowning when he still couldn't find her. Mama was really good at this game. He didn't let that deter him though. He instead skipped off to find Papa._

_He found him sitting in the kitchen, still looking very scary. Now Nico understood why. He couldn't find Mama either. But that was okay, they could search for her together. He ran up to him, bouncing excitedly._

_"Papa?" No answer. "Papa! Hellooo?!" When Nico still didn't get a response, he huffed and stomped his foot. He did not like being ignored. "Papa! Do you know where Mama is hiding?"  The question finally got a reaction from Papa, but he only sighed and got up, walking away._

_"No." Nico grinned widely when his guess was confirmed and he ran after him, skipping along beside him when he caught up._

_"That's okay Papa! Do you wanna look for her together?"_

_"No."  Nico stopped skipping but quickly started up again, putting on his best pleading face._

_"Pleeeeease Papa? I know we can find her if we look toget-"_

_"Your mother is dead Nico!" Papa suddenly shouted and Nico went rigid. He didn't know what 'dead' meant but Papa had never yelled at him before. Never ever. Nico feel his eyes fill up with tears and he ran off to Bia._

_She didn't know what dead meant either._

* * *

_Olympia, 1563_

After the attack, Hades moved Bianca and Nico to his castle in the Olympia region. At first, the realization of their mama's death pained them, but being as young as they were, the few memories they had of their mama faded as they aged. Hades had made himself scarce as soon as they got settled, leaving the two of them to be raised by the staff, most of the attention on his new wife, Princess Persephone. That didn't matter though. They had each other and that was enough for the two of them. 

 

Nico remembered Bianca better than his mother but physically there wasn't much difference between them. Bianca was the one who resembled their mama best after all, the same olive skin tone, silky dark hair and lean body. One thing she did have of their father's though, was her eyes. They were pitch-black and sparkled with something akin to either genius or madness. 

 

As much as Nico loved his sister, there were times where he wondered if it was the latter. 

 

You see, Bianca was the firstborn child of their family. She had been blessed with one of Hera's gifts as well. Hera must of had a sick sense of humour because Bianca was given the ability to see and communicate with the dead. When they were younger, it seemed like fun. The ghosts Bianca talked to appeared to enjoy her company and vice versa. Nico actually got quite jealous of her at times, usually finding her sitting around the castle, wanting to talk and play with the ghosts instead of him. The fun didn't last for very long though. 

 

When Nico was about 8 years old, the gift started to take its toll on Bianca. She was distant, even reclusive at times, hiding away in her room for a majority of the day. She barely ate or slept, didn't bother to brush her hair and her plain white nightgown became her favourite thing to wear. When Nico was 9 she started to break, crying and throwing tantrums like a toddler, screaming in terror at nothing but thin air. Hopefully. 

 

There were also times when she got quiet. The times when her eyes looked dead and she would do nothing but stare off into space, sometimes mumbling incoherently under her breath. Nico was scared of those moments the most...

_It was the middle of the night. Nico was alone in his own room in his own bed and he couldn't sleep. His father thought that with how Bia had been lately, it would be better if they slept separately. But no matter how hard he tried, Nico couldn't sleep. Bia might've been acting strange, but he still missed her._

 

_Nico heard a light switch being flicked on and looked up to see a patch of light shining under his door from the hallway. Then he heard slow, deliberate footsteps that seemed to be coming towards his room...closer...and closer..._

 

_Nico was hiding under his blanket by now. He heard the sound of the doorknob turning, the sound of the door creaking open slowly and then no sounds at all. Just complete and utter silence. Nico was trembling now but he decided to risk it. He peeked out from behind the blanket and there, standing in the doorway in her white nightgown, was Bianca. She was breathing heavily, her fists clenching and unclenching at her sides. Her eyes were dead. Yet, Nico couldn't help but to relax at the sight of her._

_"B-Bia?" He asked softly, slowly lowering the blanket. "You couldn't sleep either?" Bianca didn't answer him, simply standing there for a few more moments before she strode in and gripped his shoulders tightly, her eyes suddenly wild._

_"Nico, you must listen to me. Holding a grudge is dangerous for us. It is our fatal flaw. You have to forgive. You have to. You have to promise me this. Promise me Nico."  She said urgently, her eyes bloodshot from the lack of sleep, her grip on him tightening to the point where her nails were digging into his skin. _

_"B-Bia...you're scaring me..." Nico whispered softly, whimpering a bit at the pain blossoming in his shoulders. Bianca blinked slowly at him before lurching back so suddenly that he couldn't help but to yelp in surprise. She tilted her head at him and smiled a bit, finally relaxing._

_"Good...that means you'll remember." She said softly before turning to walk out. She paused in the doorway, looking at him over her shoulder and giving him a smile that reminded him of how they used to be, back in Italy.  "Goodnight Nico." She said softly before leaving him alone in the dark._

When Nico was 10, Bianca seemed to get better, back to her usual self. Nico was happy. Until she joined a few other royal children on one of their special 'quests'. Nico didn't really understand why quests were such a big deal. You had to fight monsters, you rarely slept in an actual bed and not to mention, there were no bathrooms with plumbing. The thing that annoyed him the most back then though was that he was too young to go. He made one of the Princes promise to bring her back safely. A pretty one, with sea green eyes. His name was Percy.

 

When they returned, the Prince had a small toy figurine instead of his sister. She had had another episode and disappeared during the night, somewhere off in the desert. For some reason, Hades thought it would be 'easier on the kingdom' if they thought she just fell ill and died of it. 

 

So Bianca's death was covered up, nobody searched for her and Nico was officially alone.

* * *

_Olympia, 1568_

Nico was a mess after what happened with Bianca. He couldn't run away because of the guards so he instead decided to get himself lost in the maze of a castle, eventually ending up in the underground dungeon. It was a story that Nico would rather not talk about. One that involved him almost setting a prisoner free. He still had nightmares about the experience.

 

Another nightmare worthy time was brought on when he was 14. He refuses to think about any memories from the time but he had fallen terribly ill one day, hellish hallucinations of unimaginable horrors plaguing him day in and day out. Nico came close to dying many times. When he was better, he was almost sad that he didn't. 

 

It wasn't until a few weeks after he recovered, at one of the political meetings, that Nico realized the cause behind his sickness.

_Nico looked around the room. The royal leaders were in one room, discussing political matters while the children were in another. To 'bond'._

_It wasn't much of a bonding experience though. Everyone had separated into their own little cliques and were chatting away about the latest gossip. Something was off this time though. Nico noticed a distinct lack of sparkling sea-green and dull grey eyes. Prince Percy and Lady Annabeth were missing. Not that he minded, he had never been too fond of Annabeth and he absolutely...despised Percy after the incident with his sister._

 

_That didn't mean he wasn't curious about it though. He spotted an advisor with a trident crest on his uniform and walked up to him, bowing to show at least some form of respect._

_"Good afternoon. I just happened to notice that the crown prince Perseus is absent. Is he alright?" Nico asked with false concern. This was probably the only time he took his etiquette lessons seriously. The advisor thankfully seemed to be friendly, nodding and humming in thought._

_"Yes, Perseus has regrettably fallen ill. He's suffering from these terrible hallucinations."_

_Nico's eyebrows shot up at that and he had a sudden sinking feeling in his gut. "Hallucinations? Is that so?"_

_"Yes, your Highness. Lady Annabeth as well. It's such a shame really, it's because of those cursed gifts. The Lady would have been spared of the illness if Perseus' gift hadn't been to share difficult times with those who fall in love with him"_

Knowing of Percy's curse, it wasn't hard for Nico to put two and two together. That didn't mean he didn't hate himself for it though. In love with the boy who let his sister die? What a disgrace.

 

Of course, the other royal children weren't stupid. One by one they started to figure it out. Prince Jason, Queen Reyna. Even his younger sister Hazel, who appeared at the castle door last year and had been a part of the family ever since. Nico even gained the courage to tell Percy and Annabeth, after he had gotten over his crush. They all accepted him.

 

Yet, Nico still couldn't accept himself.

* * *

_Olympia, Present Day, 1569_

"Wait, so you're telling me that you like boys?" Will asked, breaking Nico out of his thoughts. Nico suddenly became aware that sometime during the retelling of his past, Will had pulled him into his lap. He was currently running his fingers through Nico's hair and after the emotional word vomit, the soothing gesture felt nice. Nico decided not to point it out, instead taking the time to inspect Will's face carefully. The older boy looked oddly happy. Then again, Will always looked like that. Odd and Happy. Figuring that he didn't have much left to lose, Nico gave him a small nod of confirmation. He was rewarded with a grin brighter than the sun, his heart thumping wildly in his ribcage at the sight.

 

"I like them too." 

 

 

For the first time in years, Nico felt a flicker of hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:  
> -Be quiet little brother. They will find us if we're too loud.  
> -Children


	9. Chapter 8

**Nico**

Nico was taking back everything he said. There was no flicker of hope inside of him and he didn't have a crush because he was too busy hating his crush with a vengeance.

 

"Solace! Get your butt back here!" He yelled, running after the giggling blond through the endless hallways of the castle. If someone had told Nico that he would be chasing an idiotic boy around in circles, he would've stared them down until they ran off with their tail between their legs and then proceeded to stare down any idiotic boys that crossed his path as well.

 

Yet here he was, hunting down one highly idiotic William Solace. For the sole reason of getting his stupid crown back, no less. He wouldn't have bothered to get it back if Will hadn't insisted on _mocking_  him. Yes he used funny hand gestures when he talked, yes he liked Mythomagic and no, it wasn't a child's game so there was no reason for Will to steal his crown and do a horribly inaccurate impression of him. 

 

What was especially frustrating was that Will would not stop his impressions no matter how terrible Nico said they were.  ' _I have the crown and the crown means I'm in charge_ ' He had claimed. Nonsense. 

 

Nonsense or not though, Nico would not allow such insolence. Therefore, he was running with everything he had so he could catch that blue eyed menace and reclaim his property. 

 

Conveniently, Nico was a lot faster than Will. As soon he turned the corner, he was within range. He lunged forward and successfully tackled the older boy to the ground. A feeling satisfaction washed over Nico when he heard Will groan in pain once he fell down on top him as well. Serves him right. He sat up and smugly plucked the crown from his hands, placing it on his head in the daintiest manner possible just to be extra snobby. Will didn't look very amused but that was the point.

 

"Now I'm in charge. I ought to have you thrown in the dungeon for that insulting act." He said flatly, trying to seem as intimidating as possible. Will wasn't having it.

 

"Ya ya, sure Death Boy. Now get off me you tiny bean, you weigh a ton." Will complained and Nico could feel a renewed sense of indignation swell up within him. He snarled and put his hands flat against Will's chest, leaning in close to him. 

 

"Why don't you make me, _Sunshine_." He growled softly, smirking when Will's face flushed a pretty shade of scarlet. It wasn't until he noticed the slightest widening of Will's eyes and the soft gasp that escaped his lips that he realized what sort of position they were in. Nico was sitting on Will's hips, their bodies pressed firmly against each other while their faces were so close that the slightest tilt of Nico's head would have their lips locked in a kiss. It was also then that he realized that anyone, including his _father_  could walk right around the corner at any moment.

 

He launched himself off Will, landing on his ass a good few feet away from him before he hurriedly stood and backed up right into a wall. Smooth. 

 

Nico opened his mouth to apologize but then Will got up as well and brushed himself off. He turned to look at him, his face still scarlet as he gave him a small smile before he shyly looked at the ground again. Any apologies that Nico had thought up died in his throat at the sight of him.  

 

Okay, so maybe hate wasn't exactly the right word to describe what he felt for Will Solace.

 

* * *

 

 

Nico very much regretted taking the crown back. Now instead of mocking him, Will was giving him just a little too much respect, treating him like how princes 'should' be treated. Nico could tell that he didn't really mean it, if the mischevious glint in his eyes was anything to go by, but that didn't make it any less infuriating. 

 

They currently were on their way to the kitchen since Will's stomach had started grumbling. Again. Nico was seriously started to get worried about him. Did this kid ever eat outside of the castle? What about his family? Did he even _have_ a family? Okay, that last question was a bit silly. Will had to have a family, right? No one smiles that much when they're alone.

 

Before Nico could ponder over it any further, they had arrived at the dining hall, Will bowing down extravagantly in front of the door.

 

"After you, _Prince_  Nico." Why must he be so aggravating? Couldn't Nico pine after him in peace? He sighed. Only one option left now. 

 

"You know what, fine. You may address me as the Prince." He stated defeatedly, rubbing his temples. Will clearly hadn't expected this reply. 

 

"Wait, really?" Nico had to hold back a smirk at how naïve he sounded. He had no idea what he was getting himself into.

 

"Yes. On one condition."  He said, folding his hands behind his back. Will narrowed his eyes at him but eventually he nodded and agreed. Wrong choice. He should have never trusted Nico. "From now on I get to call you, princess." 

 

He felt an almost sadistic sense of pleasure as the scarlet blush burst onto Will's face again. The shocked and embarrassed expression on his face, combined with the scandalised look in his eyes and his inability to produce a single sound other than a squeak was most satisfying. Nico smiled innocently at him before purposefully striding past him and into his seat in the dining room, beginning to eat.

 

* * *

 

 

Once again, Nico was regretting his actions. This time the regret felt worse. Will hadn't said a single word since he had teased him. He wasn't even smiling. Will _always_  smiled. 

 

Though it was clear as day that he wasn't now. His face was painfully neutral as he stared at a random spot on the table, the blush still on his cheeks, however it had died down to a light pink. He originally had been staring at Nico but when the prince quirked an eyebrow at him questioningly, Will's ears had turned a bright shade of pink and he quickly turned his eyes elsewhere. 

 

The silence stretched on for a long, awkward period. Nico was beginning to question himself again. Had he teased Will too much? Did he make him uncomfortable? He should apologize, shouldn't he? Did he even apologize earlier for tackling him? He couldn't remember if he did. That settled it. He was apologizing right this instant. 

 

He turned towards Will to do just that but something about the blond's expression caught him off guard. Nico followed his gaze and suddenly noticed that Will had been staring at Nico's food for the past ten minutes. Oh. Nico was an idiot. Will wanted to try some of his food and was too embarrassed to ask. Why else would he be blushing and have such a longing expression on his face?

 

"Oh, do you want some?" He asked curiously, watching as Will's eyes snapped up to him, the blush on his face deepening. Nico smiled fondly at him and twirled some of his pasta onto his fork, holding it up to Will's lips. "Here, let me feed you."

 

Will didn't move. For the longest time he just sat there and stared at him. A long enough time for Nico to realize what he said. He could feel a blush creeping down his neck, but he was too prideful to pull the fork away, simply staring back at Will.

 

Another few painful seconds passed and Nico was about to say to hell with his pride when Will smiled at him. A small, bashful little smile that stole Nico's breath away. Not because of how his pink lips curved upwards and because of his adorably slightly crooked teeth, but because of his eyes. The way they seemed to sparkle with absolute joy. Will smiled a lot but this was the first time that Nico could see it reach his eyes so genuinely. In a scary way, this smile made all the other ones seem fake. 

 

Before Nico could think on this thought any longer, Will moved forward, opening his mouth and wrapping his lips around the end of the fork, all the while keeping eye contact with Nico. He then very slowly pulled away, chewing the pasta and swallowing before smiling at him coyly. This boy was going to kill him one day.

 

" _Delicious_." And Nico was dead. Totally and completely dead.

 

To avoid answering, Nico just continued to feed him, trying to ignore the burning of his cheeks and the amused expression on Will's face. 

 

Nico was certain of it now. He had definitely died and went to Elysium.

 

* * *

 

**Will**

 

Will twirled around as he walked through the forest, letting out a carefree laugh. It felt good to laugh for real. He hadn't been able to stop feeling happy ever since he left the castle. Genuinely happy, not the fake version that his curse forced him to show. 

 

He and Nico might've only spent the majority of the day running, eating and being dorks in general but Will wouldn't change a thing about it.  He couldn't stop the warm fuzzy feeling that bloomed up in his chest. 

 

It reminded him of the times his mother would hold him close and sing him to sleep every night before bed. Or of the times when his father would let him sit in his lap and he'd teach him the healing arts, the trade that Will had been so so interested to learn about whenever he could while his father would always be bragging to the others about how proud he was of him. It reminded him of the time when Lou and Cecil found out about his curse and proceeded to have the longest competition in the history of competitions to who could get the most genuine laughs and smiles out of Will. The warm fuzzy feeling he felt back in those moments was only a fraction of the size of what he felt now. 

 

What he felt now put him on top of the world. He felt light and carefree and like nothing could ever bring him down from the current high that he was riding on. Not the cold weather, not the ratty old couch he was going back to, not even Cassandra. Absolutely nothing. 

 

But alas, eventually the day had to come to an end and Will had to go back to the forest. He hadn't wanted to leave and he could tell that Nico was reluctant to let him go as well but he knew that neither of them would be able to give a plausible reason for why there was a village boy sleeping in the prince's bed...that was phrased badly but Will was alone so he was allowed to think whatever gay thoughts he wanted to think. 

 

Although with the next step he took, the snow crunched under his boots and he was torn from that line of thinking. Yes, he had boots now. Nico had insisted on getting him a custom fit pair when he noticed that he had been wearing the same pair of ratty, open toed sandals that he had always worn. Will had protested, as usual (He hadn't wanted eggplant shoes after all) but Nico had refuted him by saying that he refused to be friends with anyone who stupidly lost all their toes to frostbite. Getting new, thankfully non vegetable resembling boots apparently also meant that Will needed an entire new outfit. That day he ended up going back to the house with three jackets, seven sweaters, five new shirts and pants and a whole basket of fuzzy socks. Not that he was complaining. The rickety old house hadn't come with any blankets or bedsheets so the extra layers were the next best thing to wear during the cold nights. 

 

Speaking of the house, it had finally started to loom up in Will's view now that he approached the edge of the forest. Every time he saw it, he always thought about how it was a miracle that it hadn't collapsed by now. Maybe for once, the Fates were smiling down on him. 

 

He made his way up the front steps, ignoring the way they groaned under his weight. He brushed off the creaking of the front porch, chalking it up to the house's age taking its effect. He payed no mind to the squealing of the door hinges or the squeaking of the floorboards. These were just the usual noises after all. It was only when he was halfway to the couch and heard a sickening crack that he froze in place. He wasn't even given the chance to cry out before the floor gave way from underneath him and he was falling down. 

 

Down

 

Down

 

Down into the endless darkness. 

 

Will crashed down in a heap on top of the broken floorboards, his head smashing into the ground and making his vision darken at the edges. From what he could make out from the little light that filtered through from the hole, he had fallen into some sort of cellar, shelves of preserved food and cobwebs lining the walls. 

 

Will knew that he should probably try to find a way out but at the moment, all he could think about was how exhausted he suddenly was. Had he always been this tired? He didn't think so. Then again, he had been running around all day with Nico and he supposed the long nights he laid awake on the couch hadn't exactly been the most restful. Will never expected broken floorboards to feel any better but somehow they were. He felt as if he was floating on air in the middle of an empty void. His eyelids started to slip shut and he decided to give in.

 

He let the darkness pull him under.


	10. Chapter 9

**Nico**

 

When Will didn't show up the next day, Nico had to admit that he was a little bit confused. Worried even. They had a sort of routine now where the two of them would meet up almost daily to eat, fool around and just generally be themselves. It was 'almost' daily because Nico was still the prince and had royal duties so there were days when he wouldn't have been able to sneak Will into the castle. Otherwise he and Will would meet up regularly by the yew berry bush where Will had almost poisoned himself, partially because he wanted Will to remember his mistake and never forget. Another reason was because it was always entertaining to see the boy flush pink in embarrassment and whine like a child each time he brought it up. 

 

But now it was already noon with the sun high in the sky and Will still hadn't shown up. Nico anxiously chewed his lip and waited for what had to be another hour before he gave up and got back on his horse, riding back to the castle. Will better have a damn good explanation for this. 

 

* * *

 

**Day 2: _Denial_**

 

A feeling of dread settled in Nico's stomach when Will failed to show up the day after. Bad thoughts started running through his head like a never ending stream.

 

What if something happened to Will?

 

What if he was hurt?

 

Dying?

 

Nico's stomach dropped in his panic. He might've joked earlier about Will eating the yew berries, but honestly, he didn't want to see the older boy get hurt. The idea of Will being in pain made Nico want to get on his horse and ride off until he could make sure there wasn't a scratch on him. In fact, he was going to do that right now. But as he made his way towards his horse, a new concept entered his head, causing him to pause.

 

What if..

 

What if Will just didn't want to show up anymore?

 

Nico thought they had become good friends but what if that was only speculation? What if Will was actually just trying to be nice to him all this time? Then again, Will didn't seem to be wary of the fact that he was the Prince anymore, so there was no reason for him to do that. 

 

But what if that's why he left?

 

What if Will was staying with him this whole time because he actually had been wary of him? And when he realized that Nico was nothing to be worried about, he decided to grab the first chance he could to get out of there?

 

Okay, maybe Nico was getting a bit dramatic. Will had seemed pretty genuine in their interactions, and from what Nico could tell, he didn't seem like the type of person to just abandon someone. 

 

Although...what if he had better things to do? More important things? Maybe he had closer friends in the village and would rather spend time with them instead of keeping some lousy prince company. Maybe he..

 

No. Nico was not doing this again. Will was _fine_  and he did not leave Nico. He was probably just busy doing chores or something. He was not hurt, he was not sick of him, and he _was_  going to come back. This was all probably just some sick, twisted nightmare and Nico would wake up and everything would be as normal as it always was.

 

He refused to believe otherwise.

 

* * *

 

**Day 3: _Anger_**

 

Will still hadn't shown up and Nico couldn't bring himself to deny it anymore.

 

He gritted his teeth and stared in the direction that Will usually came from before kicking the bush out of frustration, sending the yew berries flying. Good riddance.

 

He had been so stupid, hadn't he? How could he ever believe that someone like Will would want to be his friend? How could he have believed that anyone wanted to be his friend?! The only 'friends' he had came from forced alliances. That's all they would ever come from. He hated himself for ever thinking that it could've been otherwise.

 

A part of him was angry at Will too. Nico knew he hadn't imagined all the inside jokes, all the laughter and smiles that Will sent his way. He had been leading him on this entire time, making Nico feel as he was something other than a useless tiny kid, and all for what? To eventually abandon him? To leave him just when he was feeling happy? To remind him that nobody wanted him around? How dare he play with Nico's feelings. He was the heir to the throne! He shouldn't have to be humiliated like this! He didn't deserve to be ostracized or abandoned or treated like some creep just because of who he was! He was a human being too! Not some soulless monster! Will should either be here to meet Nico or he should have never kept coming back in the first place. Fuck him.

 

Fuck Will Solace and everything he stood for. 

 

Nico didn't need him.

 

* * *

 

**Day 4: _Bargaining_**

 

Nico didn't sleep last night. He tried, he really did, however he just couldn't. He tossed and turned back and forth, working up a sweat that made his pajamas stick to his skin uncomfortably. His anger had started to ebb away, soon becoming replaced with desperation. It was even more suffocating than the unbearable heat that had been crawling over his skin. 

 

Now he was standing by the yew bush with his arms wrapped around his torso in an attempt to protect himself from the biting winter wind, his gaze fixed wistfully on a random spot in the distance. 

 

Oh how he wished for Will to come back. He longed to see the boy's bright eyes and hear his bubbly laughter. Nico would gladly let him do whatever he wanted in the castle, as long as he would _just come back_. 

 

Maybe if he offered him better food? Or clothing? What about money? Nico would give him all the jewels in the treasury if it meant that he would return. None of them were even remotely close to Will's worth. Anything that Will wanted, Nico would give it to him. 

 

Once again, he pondered the reasons that Will might've left.

 

Was it because he was scary? Nico could try to be more friendly. He wouldn't scowl or glare anymore. Maybe it was because of the teasing? If that was it then Nico would never tease Will again. He'd treat him as if he was the King himself, give him the proper worship that he deserves. Or perhaps it was because he was too dark? Nico would strut around dressed in damn rainbows if that meant Will would be his friend again. 

 

He nodded firmly to himself and quickly turned around, mounting his horse. He could do it. He could find Will and convince him to come back. Whatever it took to bring Will back, he would do it. He'd bargain and barter and beg until he managed to convince him. 

 

Nico stopped himself at this sudden thought before he could ride off. Wouldn't that be...sort of manipulative? If Will didn't want to be with him, then it was his choice after all. Nico had no right in trying to bring him back just because it was what he wanted. Not to mention, Nico had no idea if he would actually do _anything_ to bring Will back. Nico was stubborn as a mule after all and he didn't think that that would change anytime soon. If Will asked him for something that he didn't want to give...Nico may miss him a lot but he wasn't sure if he would be willing to give a part of himself up for the boy he loved. 

 

Nico hesitated, looking out towards the village one last time, wondering if maybe, _maybe_  he should try to find Will and see if there was a chance he could bring him back. Then he shook his head and turned his horse around, riding back to the castle.  

 

* * *

 

**Day 5: _Depression_**

 

Today when Nico arrived alone once again to their meeting spot, he couldn't even keep himself standing anymore. He dismounted his horse and stumbled over to the bush, staring out at the village hopelessly for a minute before he collapsed to his knees, moving agonizingly slow into a cross-legged position on the ground. He didn't care that it was hard enough to make his joints ache later. He didn't care that it was cold enough to make him feel numb, he already was. He didn't even care that it was dirty and he would probably get reprimanded harshly by his father for ruining such expensive clothing. Maybe then he would feel something.

 

At this point, Nico couldn't bring himself to have anymore hope that Will would come back. It had almost been a week since he had disappeared and with no word from the blond, Nico was left to assume that Will wouldn't be coming back out of his own free will.

 

Either that or he was dead. Nico figured that that could be a more likely option, what with the older boy being prone to accidents and his abysmal eating habits. If there wasn't such a horrible feeling of emptiness spreading through him, maybe he would've cried.

 

Sadly, as it was, there was a sense of hollowness that gaped within him, sucking him dry of his emotions and passions and motivation. He laid down on the forest floor and spread his arms out to the side, closing his eyes for a moment. He didn't feel like getting up anymore. For all he cared, he could freeze to death out here and he would consider it as mercy, since someone or something had finally decided to spare him of his miserable life. Only the Fates were cruel enough to give him so much happiness and then rip it away from him just when he was starting to believe that it might last. Now, with his birthday approaching in less than two weeks along with his father's plan for his coming of age ball, Nico would be stuck in a life that he didn't even want.

 

His eyelids eventually fluttered open and he stared up at the pale blue, cloudless sky. It didn't match Will's eyes.

 

It wasn't until nightfall that he finally got up and went back to the castle.

 

* * *

 

**Day 6: _Acceptance_**

 

The meeting spot near the yew bush was still devoid of any blond hair boys. Nico let out a forlorn sigh, putting his hands in his pockets as he gazed out at the village in the distance. As soon as he had gotten into bed that night, something within him seemed to crack at last. The emptiness inside him suddenly gave way to a torrent of emotion. He cried until his throat was raw and he was too tired to stay awake any longer. When he had woken up that morning, eyes bleary and limbs aching, he had come to a decision.

 

He had to accept that he would never see Will again. 

 

He didn't think it would be easy, he wasn't that naive, but he knew that he couldn't stay so hung up over a boy that he barely knew. Six months wasn't that much time...was it? No, compared to normal relationships that was relatively short. Although on the other hand, Nico could think of quite a few relationships that had been formed right when the two people involved had only just met. However, none of that was important now.

 

As Nico looked out at the town, he could help but feel a wave of bittersweet calm wash over him. He did miss Will, dearly, but at least Nico had some memories to hold on to. The ways Will's ears flushed pink when he was flustered, the way his freckles seemed to glow under the light whenever he was excited. Even that cute little gap between his two front teeth had Nico wishing for the boy. But the pain wasn't as bad as it had been yesterday. It might feel like it sometimes, but Nico's life didn't revolve around the other. He was his own person and one day, he probably wouldn't even remember who Will was...okay, maybe not that far but he was getting there.

 

After some time of just standing there, for old time's sake, Nico found the courage to climb back onto his horse. He'd already made the choice that after today, he wouldn't come back. After today, he would try his best to move on with his life and stop William Solace from being at the forefront of his mind. Yet as he was about to ride off, something stopped him.

 

He didn't know exactly what it was but something was nagging at him. Maybe he was still slightly curious about where Will went. He bit his lip before making an abrupt decision, guiding Midnight back towards the village and riding off.

 

There was no harm in only checking up on Will. Just to be sure.

 

* * *

 

Needless to say, Nico was rather shocked when he arrived. He had left Midnight at the edge of the forest and had paid one of the royal guards roaming nearby to give Nico his uniform so that he would be able to wander through the streets without being recognized, however unlikely it may be. After all, the royal family had rarely made an appearance after Bianca's death.

 

That being said, Nico had known that his father had been slacking with the maintenance of the kingdom, on top of all the other political that needed to be addressed, but he hadn't thought that the conditions outside the castle had gotten this bad. The people were filthy, spilling out from homes and making the streets more crowded that the Underworld would've been after the Second Great Giant War. Fights were breaking out over things such as a few bruised apples. There were groups of beggars at every corner. It took everything Nico had to not reveal himself and start giving away his valuables. As much as the idea disgusted him, Nico really had to have a talk with his father.

 

For now he had to remain focused on his task. He needed to find Will, make sure that he was safe and then get out before his identity was discovered. In all honesty, he had no idea how he'd find him in the huge swarm of people, but he'd figure out a way.

 

About an hour into his search, just when he was about to get desperate and start asking around, a girl caught his attention. Or rather she demanded it. She had ebony black hair that set her apart from the crowd and dark green eyes that held far more intelligence than a normal human's. It made Nico feel rather uneasy. 

 

She didn't stay for long and she didn't talk to Nico. What she did do, was glare at him with such an intensity that he wondered if she recognized him as the Prince and was going to attack him for his lack of action towards the village. Nico backed up a couple steps since he preferred to be alive but she didn't do anything to harm him. Instead, she shoved a paper at his chest, not even waiting for a reply from him before she stormed off to the next guard she saw. Nico was staring at the back of her head in surprise when someone suddenly barreled into him, gripping him tightly by the shoulders. His head was jerked to the side, forcing him to look at a boy with fiery red hair and elvish features, a wild look in his hazel eyes.  

 

"If you see _anything_ , you let us know, got it?" He said sternly before running off after the girl without even letting Nico answer. Nico continued to watch them speechlessly until they disappeared into the crowd, belatedly looking down at the paper in his hands. 

 

It was a missing person's poster. 

 

With Will's face on it. 

 

Nico's heart jumped into his throat at the sickeningly familiar face and he hurriedly looked at the date of disappearance, expecting to see one that matched the date from around 6 days ago, when Will stopped meeting him. The date he saw instead knocked the air out of his lungs.

 

Will had disappeared closer to a few months ago.

 

Six months to be exact.

 

Right around the time they first met.

 

 


	11. Chapter 10

It was cold when Will awoke.  
  
So...so cold.  
  
And why...  
  
Why did everything hurt so much?  
  
It was dark too...really dark. Or maybe his eyes were just closed. He tried to blink a few times but he couldn't tell the difference between the darkness in front of him and the one behind his eyelids. What he did know, was that he still felt exhausted.    
  
He didn't really have much choice when his eyelids slowly slipped shut and he drifted off.  


* * *

  
  
The next time Will woke up, he was a bit more coherent. He was able to recollect fuzzy memories of walking into the living room, falling through the floor and pain...so much pain.  
  
There still was pain. But not as bad as it had been before. Before it had been intense and overwhelming. A coppery taste in his mouth, sharp pangs every time he breathed in. Now it had died down to a dull throbbing, mostly in his leg and chest. He groaned softly, forcing himself to sit up despite the fact that his chest seemed to be squeezing in on itself as if he was the helpless prey of a python. He tried moving his leg but the jolt of pain it sent through him was so harsh that he quickly discarded that idea. Thankfully, his brain seemed to be in a well enough functioning order that he was able to recall what his father taught him about making splints.  
  
One broken floorboard and several ripped shirt pieces later, the discomfort of Will's swollen ankle had eased up a bit. He grimaced slightly and started to weakly crab-walk off the pile of floorboards, trying to get to the normal ground a few feet away. It may have been hard and appeared to be made of concrete but it’d still be safer and more comfortable to lay on than the jagged pieces of wood. In Will’s current state, however, the minor movement was excruciating, leaving him gasping for air once he was finally on the cold stone floor. He was so, so tired. He knew that he shouldn't let himself sleep. Not with the very probable risk of a concussion. That he was lucky to have even woke up at all the other times. His body didn't seem to agree. Black started to creep up around the edges of his vision despite his attempts to blink it away.  
  
Will ended up passing out once more, curled up on the cold cement beneath him. This time, he dreamt.  


* * *

  
  
It wasn't really a typical dream. Nothing like those times where your subconscious conjures up images of you wearing nothing but your undergarments as you leave the house or those dreams you have when you finally get together the person of your infatuation. Nor was Will’s dream a single solid dream either. Bits and pieces of his memories flew past him, almost as if he was standing in front of a screen and watching as the past few days started to rewind.  
  
_"Do you want some?" Nico asked as he held the fork up to Will's lips._  
  
_Will could feel his face burning in embarrassment, though he wasn't sure if it was because of Nico's offer to feed him or because of the fact he realized he had been shamelessly pining over the dark-haired prince. He hadn't meant to zone out and stare at Nico's food but Nico had already caught him practically admiring his features. If he ended up staring at Nico’s face again, then his little infatuation to become painfully obvious, if it wasn't already. So Will had turned his attention to the food Nico was eating in an attempt to seem less suspicious. Now they ended up in this awkward position._  
  
_Still, he couldn't pass up on the opportunity for such an intimate gesture. His heart was beating too wildly in his chest for him to be able to._  


_He smiled at Nico and wrapped his lips around the fork._  


  
The memory still served to make Will blush but this time he barely even had a chance to react before a new memory was pushed into his face.  


  
_Will had pulled Nico onto his lap, wanting to bring the boy closer to him. He had just looked so small, vulnerable and...well, alone as he told Will about his past. He couldn't take it. Nico seemed to have gone through so much, Will had just wanted so badly to hold the boy and shield him from anything else that might want to cause him harm that he couldn’t stop himself._  
  
_Will continued to stay on this train of thought for the majority of Nico’s retelling of his past. Only for it to suddenly become derailed when he heard Nico's last story. The one about Prince Perseus Jackson._  
  
_"You like boys?" He asked, fighting a losing battle against the goofy grin that threatened to display itself on his face. His spirit started to soar when he heard Nico's confirmation on the matter. He very nearly kissed the prince right there and then. Thank the gods for impulse control. He settled for smiling so much that his cheeks hurt, proudly giving his response to Nico._  
_  
_ "I like them too."

 

Will felt his heart flutter happily and yet the moment he blinked, the scene in front of him was gone entirely.

* * *

 

It was in that moment that Will woke up again with a sharp inhale. He slowly uncurled himself from the position he was laying in, groaning softly as he felt his joints pop due to how stiff they were. It wasn’t as dark now, wherever he was, a small bit of sunlight streaming in from the hole in the floor above him. How long had he even been here…? A few hours? A couple days? It couldn’t be more than that otherwise he’d be nearly dead from starvation. Or maybe all his other pain was blocking out his hunger. Nevertheless, he still had to eat.

 

He slowly stretched out his limbs, uncoiling himself from the curled up position he had been in until he was spread-eagle on the floor, huffing a bit. The movement had taken a lot more out of him than he’d imagined it would have but Will was nothing if not stubborn. Bracing himself for what he was about to do next, he used his arms to push himself up into a sitting position, swallowing thickly as his ribs screamed with complaint and a wave of dizziness hit him now that his head was properly upright. Darkness started to creep at the edges of his visions though he ignored for the moment, determined to complete his task of either finding a way out of this place or of finding something to eat. Thankfully, he found success for the latter.

 

Pushed up against the far wall of the room he was in, were some wooden shelves. More importantly, sitting upon those wooden shelves, were tins of food. Fruits like berries and peaches being kept preserved in glass jars with cans of beans and other vegetables alongside them. They almost reminded Will of those creepy old cellars he read about in storybooks. Actually, now that he thought about it, that’s probably where he was. A creepy old cellar underneath an abandoned, rundown house with rotting wood. If there were any deities up above in the heavens, Will could very clearly imagine them laughing at him. Maybe even writing ballads or haikus to warn other naive children to not follow in his idiotic footsteps.

 

Unfortunately, that train of thought brought on the realization of two more problems that Will had, concerning his new found food. The first was that he had no way to get over to that far wall. If he got dizzy from just sitting up then there’s no way he’d be able to walk or even crawl to those shelves. The second was that considering just how old this house was, the food had probably gone bad before Will had even been born. Recalling his past error with the berries, he could only imagine what Nico’s reaction would’ve been if he had known that Will had been considering eating old expired food.

 

Speaking of Nico, Will wondered how the other boy was faring now that Will hadn’t been meeting him every day as usual. Then again, maybe he wasn’t even affected.  He had no idea how much time had passed after all. Maybe it had only been a day. Maybe Nico hadn’t even thought once about him since they had last seen each other. Will tried his best to convince himself that that was a good thing.

 

All too soon, the dizziness started to overwhelm him and he laid back down again, thoughts of Nico briefly flitting through his head as he unintentionally drifted off once more.  

* * *

 

 _This time the memory wasn't as vivid as the others. Will couldn't hear the words that were spoken between him and Nico, only view everything that happened around them in small snippets._ __  
__  
_The way Nico's brown, nearly black eyes looked down at him as if he could see who Will truly was beneath the curse._ __  
__  
_The slightly predatory position Nico was in as he straddled Will's waist, just like a predator that had finally trapped its prey._ __  
__  
_The flush on Nico's cheeks, the way his lips stretched out into the biggest smile Will had ever seen him wear as he clutched his sides and laughed._ __  
__  
_The spark and crackling of rage Nico's eyes as he slammed Bryce Lawrence up against the wall, not because he had insulted Nico but because he had insulted_ ** _Will_** _._ __  
__  
_As if Nico felt the need to defend Will's honour._ Despite Will being nothing but a common face in the crowd.  


  
The thought only crossed Will's mind for a second before a new setting was thrown in front of him.  


  
_Nico was pinning him to the ground, his boot pressing down firmly on his chest as Will stared up at him. A mixture of shock, confusion and fear coursed through his veins. Nico had never looked at him like this before._  


_As if  Nico wanted to smack him for doing something stupid._ _  
_ _As if Nico wanted to prevent anything and everything from even laying a finger on him._

_As if Nico wanted to kill him._

_  
_ Will's heart pounded harder against his ribcage.

 

_But then he noticed something. Something strange and a little bit unfamiliar to him but not entirely foreign. Because even though Nico’s eyes held things like murder and anger and disapproval, Will could also see that those emotions were just a thin veil for Nico’s true feelings underneath. Things such as concern, worry and **fear** ****. Fear for Will. About what could’ve happened if Nico hadn’t stopped him from eating the berries. Nico cared about him._

 

Suddenly Will’s heart was pounding for an entirely new reason. A constant _boom boom boom,_ against his ribcage, as if it was tired of being trapped in there and was now attempting to fight its way free. Everything that Will saw after that was a bit of a blur.

 

_He felt Nico’s small frame pressed against him as he hugged him for the first time. He watched as Nico’s chocolate brown eyes blew wide, looking absolutely stunned when he declared they were friends. A part of Will felt saddened about the fact that Nico’s strongest emotion seemed to be surprise when it came to someone wanting to be friends with him but he couldn’t deny the giddiness that was also swelling up in his chest._

 

**_Boom._ **

 

_Will watched as Nico crossed his arms in front of his chest, his eyes sparked dangerously with the promise of vengeance, his mouth twisted harshly into an ugly frown. However, not as ugly as his eggplant shoes. At the time, Will had seen Nico as someone to steer clear of, especially when he discovered he was royalty. Now that he had gotten to know him, he could see the truth in Nico’s demeanour. The rigidness in his posture was just awkwardness from meeting someone new. The fire in his eyes was simply a defence, providing a cover for the uncertainty that lurked behind it. Even upon closer inspection, Nico’s frown looked like more of a pout than anything else. Now that Will had gotten to know him, he saw Nico as someone absolutely endearing._

 

**_Boom._ **

 

_Will could barely see anything. The dream memory was fuzzy and blurred, only allowing him to catch a few moments here and there. His mother’s warm singing voice. His father’s musical laughter. The treasured embrace of two loving parents. Suddenly the world became clear and quiet. Will looked up to the face of a woman he didn’t know, a satisfied smile pulling at her lips._

 

 _“_ _I bestow upon this boy, the gift of eternal happiness.”_

 

**_Boom. Boom. Boom._ **

* * *

 

It was then that Will jolted awake, gasping for air on the stone floor like a man who had nearly drowned. He felt sharp hunger pangs in his stomach but he ignored them in favour of the two realizations that quickly came to the forefront of his mind.

  
The first discovery was Nico di Angelo. He was the warmth in Will's chest. He was the butterflies in Will's stomach. He was the pounding of Will's heart. He was one of Will's best friends. He was the one Will wanted to give his heart to. He was also the crown prince of the kingdom, destined to be married off to someone of a high status.  
  
Will was just a commoner.  
  
He couldn't even really get upset about that fact. As much as it crushed Will's heart, he knew it needed to happen. They needed alliances, resources, dammit, they barely even had enough food to survive off of in the village. They wouldn't get the things they needed if Will and Nico were together. Will was getting ahead of himself anyway. The only reason he and Nico would be together would be if Nico actually returned his feelings.  
  
As it was, Nico most likely didn't.  Even if he did, Will would probably starve to death in this death pit before he could find out.  
  
Which brought him to his second realization.He could hear footsteps above him approaching the hole that Will had fallen through. They were light. Not too loud. In fact, if it wasn't for the fact that the only other noise was the sound of Will's breathing, he might've not even heard the quiet steps. Butin the silence of the house, they were deafening. Coming closer. Slowly. Cautiously.  
  
As if whatever rescuer was approaching didn't want to fall through the floor as well. Or it was a predator who was trying to be as discreet as possible to avoid having its prey flee.  
  
Will held his breath as the footsteps stopped at what seemed to be just the outer edge of the hole. There was a soft shuffling movement and out of the corner of his eye, Will could see a figure slowly peer over the edge of the hole, hurriedly turning his head to see what it was despite how much the movement made his world tilt.  
  
Will has said this plenty of times before but he's never been so relieved to see chocolate brown eyes.  
  
There's a moment of silence as he and Nico lock eyes. Then there's suddenly a large amount of-Italian?-swearing and the end of a rope collides with Will's face rather harshly.  Despite all this, as Will clumsily tied the rope around his waist so Nico could pull him out, he could barely hold back a smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: It's been almost a year but I did it!!! I updated!!! Success!!! Thank you all so much for your comments, I really appreciated them and especially the fact that I lot of you stuck with this fic despite the lack of updates. I'll try to be better about it from now on, but for now, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Happy reading!


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